Avid File-Based Workflows Guide

Transcription

®
Avid File-Based
Workflows Guide
Legal Notices
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid
Technology, Inc.
This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the software. The product
may only be used in accordance with the license agreement.
This product may be protected by one or more U.S. and non-U.S patents. Details are available at www.avid.com/patents.
This document is protected under copyright law. An authorized licensee of Avid Media ComposerNewsCutterAvid Symphony
Nitris may reproduce this publication for the licensee’s own use in learning how to use the software. This document may not be
reproduced or distributed, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this document or providing
support or educational services to others. This document is supplied as a guide for Avid Media ComposerNewsCutter and
NewsCutter XPAvid Symphony Nitris. Reasonable care has been taken in preparing the information it contains. However, this
document may contain omissions, technical inaccuracies, or typographical errors. Avid Technology, Inc. does not accept
responsibility of any kind for customers’ losses due to the use of this document. Product specifications are subject to change
without notice.
Copyright © 2013 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The following disclaimer is required by Apple Computer, Inc.:
APPLE COMPUTER, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING
THIS PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE
ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS.
THERE MAY BE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:
Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose
is hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of
the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any
advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon
Graphics.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR
OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE,
DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF
LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:
Copyright (c) 1989 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
are duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such
distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the
University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written
permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby
granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission
notice appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
2
Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby
granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission
notice appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that
the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
supporting documentation, and that the name of Daniel Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to
distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission. Daniel Dardailler makes no representations about the
suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Modifications Copyright 1999 Matt Koss, under the same license as above.
Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this
entire notice is included in all copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all
copies of the supporting documentation for such software.
THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR,
NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE
MERCHANTABILITY OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.
The following disclaimer is required by Nexidia Inc.:
© 2010 Nexidia Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. Nexidia and the Nexidia logo are trademarks of Nexidia Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Nexidia materials regardless of form, including without limitation,
software applications, documentation and any other information relating to Nexidia Inc., and its products and services are the
exclusive property of Nexidia Inc. or its licensors. The Nexidia products and services described in these materials may be
covered by Nexidia's United States patents: 7,231,351; 7,263,484; 7,313,521; 7,324,939; 7,406,415, 7,475,065; 7,487,086
and/or other patents pending and may be manufactured under license from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation USA.
The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:
Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.
The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:
“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code
equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be
liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or
operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect,
special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use reseller’s
products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates
has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.
The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:
“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with
respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”
“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by
Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use
of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players
and the like.”
The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample
Source Code:
©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.
The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:
Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte Corporation and are
subject to copyright protection.
3
The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:
Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.
The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:
The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid
products.
This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
© DevelopMentor
This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:
JCifs © Copyright 2004, The JCIFS Project, is licensed under LGPL (http://jcifs.samba.org/). See the LGPL.txt file in the Third
Party Software directory on the installation CD.
Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in
connection with Avid Interplay.
Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or
“commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf
of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms
of the License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.
Trademarks
003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AME, AniMatte, Archive, Archive II,
Assistant Station, AudioPages, AudioStation, AutoLoop, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Active, Avid Advanced Response, Avid DNA,
Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, Avid DS Assist Station, Avid Ignite, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Engine, Avid Media Processor, Avid
MEDIArray, Avid Mojo, Avid Remote Response, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid VideoRAID, AvidRAID, AvidShare, AVIDstripe,
AVX, Beat Detective, Beauty Without The Bandwidth, Beyond Reality, BF Essentials, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24,
CaptureManager, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer, Color Conductor,
Command|24, Command|8, Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice, CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko,
DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Development Partners,
Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiPanner, DigiProNet, DigiRack,
DigiSerial, DigiSnake, DigiSystem, Digital Choreography, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear,
DINR, DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP Manager, DS-StorageCalc, DV Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven,
EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase, Expander, ExpertRender, Fader Pack, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track, Film Cutter,
FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, Frame Chase, FXDeko, HD Core, HD Process, HDpack, Home-to-Hollywood, HYBRID,
HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, iKnowledge, Image Independence, Impact, Improv, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWS
ControlAir, InGame, Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelligent Content Management, Intelligent Digital Actor Technology, IntelliRender,
Intelli-Sat, Intelli-sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, InterFX, Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23,
iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, LFX, Lightning, Link & Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl, Magic
Mask, Make Anything Hollywood, make manage move | media, Marquee, MassivePack, Massive Pack Pro, Maxim, Mbox,
Media Composer, MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaServer, MediaShare,
MetaFuze, MetaSync, MIDI I/O, Mix Rack, Moviestar, MultiShell, NaturalMatch, NewsCutter, NewsView, NewsVision, Nitris,
NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management,
Painterly Effects, Palladium, Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE, ProControl, ProEncode, Profiler, Pro Tools,
Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Transfer, QuickPunch, QuietDrive, Realtime Motion Synthesis, Recti-Fi,
Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger, Reel Tape Saturation, Reprise, Res Rocket Surfer, Reso, RetroLoop, Reverb One,
ReVibe, Revolution, rS9, rS18, RTAS, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, ScriptSync, SecureProductionEnvironment, Serv|GT,
Serv|LT, Shape-to-Shape, ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord, Slightly Rude Compressor, Smack!, Soft
SampleCell, Soft-Clip Limiter, SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide,
Streamfactory, Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance, Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC HD,
SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope, Syntax, TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder, TimeLiner, Titansync, Titan, TL
Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL
Utilities, tools for storytellers, Transit, TransJammer, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video the Web Way,
VideoRAID, VideoSPACE, VTEM, Work-N-Play, Xdeck, X-Form, Xmon and XPAND! are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Adobe and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States
and/or other countries. Apple and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
4
Footage
Arri — Courtesy of Arri/Fauer — John Fauer, Inc.
Bell South “Anticipation” — Courtesy of Two Headed Monster — Tucker/Wayne Atlanta/GMS.
Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.
Eco Challenge British Columbia — Courtesy of Eco Challenge Lifestyles, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Eco Challenge Morocco — Courtesy of Discovery Communications, Inc.
It’s Shuttletime — Courtesy of BCP & Canadian Airlines.
Nestlé Coffee Crisp — Courtesy of MacLaren McCann Canada.
Saturn “Calvin Egg” — Courtesy of Cossette Communications.
“Tigers: Tracking a Legend” — Courtesy of www.wildlifeworlds.com, Carol Amore, Executive Producer.
"The Big Swell" — Courtesy of Swell Pictures, Inc.
Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.
Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc.,
Editor/Producer Bryan Foote.
Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.
Ice Island — Courtesy of Kurtis Productions, Ltd.
Tornados + Belle Isle footage — Courtesy of KWTV News 9.
WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA.
Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.
Avid File-Based Workflows Guide • September 2013
5
6
Contents
Chapter 1
Digital Cinema and TV Productions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Workflow: Digital Cinema & Scripted TV Productions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Workflow: Unscripted TV Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Editing on Interplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Checklist: File-Based Editing Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Considerations when Editing with File-Based Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Organizing your File-Based Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Embedding Metadata in your Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Section 1: Media Composer
Chapter 2
Working with High-Resolution Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
What's the Difference between Resolution and Size? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
What is Color Management?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Changing Source Properties on a Master Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Reframing your Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Reformatting the Media to fit the Project Frame Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Setting the Color Properties of Acquired Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Editing with Low-Resolution Proxy Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Relinking to Source Media for Conform and Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Linking to MXF Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Merging Additional Metadata for Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Rendering Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Viewing Sequences with Mask Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Exporting Sequences to File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Exporting Sequences to External Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Chapter 3
Acquisition of File-Based Media (AMA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
The Avid Media Access (AMA) Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Viewing Installed AMA Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Selecting the AMA Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
1
Manually Copying File-Based Media to a FireWire or Network Drive . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Dragging and Dropping File-based Media Directly to a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Creating Dynamic Media Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Linking Media with AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Relinking to AMA-Linked QuickTime Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Spanned Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
AMA Linking with Ancillary Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
AMA Linking with Multichannel Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
The AMA Plug-in Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Using Virtual Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Virtual Volumes and AMA Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Deleting Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Using AMA Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Understanding the Source Settings Histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Adjusting the Source Settings Histogram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Working with Export Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
AS-11 Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Section 2: Avid DS
Chapter 4
Conforming & Finishing Sequences with Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Checklist: Conforming and Finishing Sequences in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chapter 5
Managing Avid DS Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Planning your Storage Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Sharing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Checklist: Configuring Avid DS on Avid Shared Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Configuring your Storage Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
About your Local Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Chapter 6
Editing High-Res Projects in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Opening an HD or Film Project in Avid DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Linking to High-Resolution Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Capturing High Resolution Media from Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Capturing Film Footage from File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Viewing High-Resolution Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
2
Film Proxy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Outputting Film Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Chapter 7
Conforming with AAF/AFE Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Importing AFE/AAF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Conforming with the Same Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Conforming with Media from Alternate Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Conforming with MXF Media Generated by an Offline System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Relinking Missing Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Real-Time Playback for High-Res Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Chapter 8
Color Management in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Lookup Tables (LUTs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
The Avid DS Color Management Pipeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Chapter 9
Using Lookup Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Customizing LUTs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Importing External LUTs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Saving and Exporting a LUT File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Enabling a LUT to the Avid DS Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Applying a LUT Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Generating 3D LUTs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
3
4
1 Digital Cinema and TV Productions
Production companies, post houses, and audio post facilities need to stay connected and in
constant contact to meet tight deadlines and stringent quality requirements. Offline editing,
sound post, effects and graphics work can take place at different facilities, and Avid editing tools
and interconnectivity solutions support the file interchange workflows between these specialized
post facilities.
Modern advances in cinematography, like the digital cameras from RED, Arri, and Sony, have
changed the media-creation industry. The new generation of video cameras records to digital
media instead of film or videotape. This allows editors to copy the file-based media directly onto
the editing system. As a result, productions can now be edited from start to end using a tapeless
format.
File-based workflows can greatly accelerate post-production, replacing real-time tape capture
with much faster file-based import along with the integral metadata to preserve image quality
throughout the editing pipeline. With the emergence of new digital cameras that can record
images with higher precision and dynamic range, media can come in varying size, resolution,
aspect ratio, frame rate, compression, and color encoding (color model, bit depth, gamma). Avid
applications have adapted to allow better handling of resolutions and color encoding that these
cameras and formats are constantly introducing.
You now have a reliable approach to achieve accurate and consistent color throughout your
workflow. The editing application will ease the editing of high-resolution images and properly
manage the colors in these images right through the production pipeline. The metadata
associated with the files ensures that the original information is represented as accurately as
possible, and enables other downstream systems and processes to reproduce the same look for
final delivery to cinema, HD, SD or web formats. The source file metadata is transferred via
Avid’s AAF to exchange color and spatial information with partner products, and ensure that the
media can be re-linked within the Avid and partner eco-systems.
Media Composer’s first step towards resolution independence allows you to link directly to the
high-resolution footage (2K and higher), and apply the necessary color transformations and
image framing options, all within an HD/SD project. For example, you can perform your
editorial within an HD frame size, and still pan over the high-resolution image to keep the
important action within view.
Workflow: Digital Cinema & Scripted TV Productions
While performing the edit, you can perform a background transcode of the media used in your
sequence so that you can continue the editorial with a lower proxy resolution, but with improved
playbackand performance for VFX layers. For the finishing, you can then relink back to the
high-resolution footage for the final conform, finishing, render and output to HD, SD or other
delivery formats.
The scenarios presented in this document provide recommendations for file-based workflows
using Avid products.
•
Digital Cinema (2K+ documentary or movie productions) and Scripted TV (series, soap
operas, commercials)
•
Unscripted TV (reality, talk, or lifestyle TV shows)
Refer to the following topics before you start editing your media:
•
•
Workflow: Unscripted TV Production
•
Editing on Interplay
•
Considerations when Editing with File-Based Media
•
Organizing your File-Based Media
•
Embedding Metadata in your Clips
Digital cameras can record footage at high-quality resolutions of 2K and up. This makes for
bright and realistic images that are ideal for digital cinema productions. During the
post-production process, this quality may only be required during the final finishing stages, so
it’s best to use a lower resolution for the offline editing and economize on time and disk space.
Depending on your delivery requirements, you can finish by switching to a higher target
resolution, or conforming the project on another editing system where you can view the material
at higher-than-HD resolution.
The illustration below shows a typical workflow for feature film editing using both Avid and
3rd-party applications.
6
1
2
DAILIES CREATION
5
CREATIVE EDITORIAL
OUTPUT &
DISTRIBUTION
Audio & Video
Cameras
Dailies
Application
Copy
Avid Media Composer
Final
master
AAF
3rd-party
stack of drives
VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(HD, SD, DVD,
BLU-RAY, WEB)
AMA-Link to
HD proxies
Media processed
& transcoded to HD
Avid Pro Tools
ISIS 5000/7000
Storage
5
Link back to
source media
AUDIO EDITING/MIXING
Final
master
Avid DS or
3rd-party
Finishing
application
4
FILM, VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(2K+, HD, SD,
DVD, BLU-RAY, WEB)
FINISHING &
SPECIAL EFFECTS
For detailed procedures, see:
•
“Checklist: File-Based Editing Workflow” on page 19, or
•
“Editing on Interplay” on page 16
•
Dailies Creation
There are many companies that provide tools and technologies to streamline the preparation of
dailies. The dailies process involves the fixing of timing errors, duration problems, audio/video
synchronization, framing, color grading or spatial alignment. Also, when a film is shot in 3D,
there are additional fixes required to adjust color and spatial alignments between the left/right
eye images.
The dailies systems also inject the necessary metadata to facilitate other downstream editing
processes. Not all these functions need to be completed in the dailies as they can be undertaken
in the video editing application. Your workflow, timescale, storage capacity and other criteria
will determine the best flexibility in the pipeline.
7
Once the footage to be delivered to editorial has been identified, it is typically passed on in the
form of transcoded MXF or QuickTime files. The processed media is then sent to the creative
editorial suite along with the associated sequence AAFs, ALEs, and LUTs from the color
grading process.
If you have adequate disk storage, you can edit in Media Composer at full resolution to maintain
the best possible quality. It is also possible to acquire lower resolution HD proxy footage for the
selected takes, and at a later time pass a pull list back to dailies to obtain the full resolution
equivalents.
Acquisition of High-Resolution Media
With a file-based workflow, the footage is already in digital file format so the editing system can
link to media directly on a camera or storage device. Avid systems support media originating
from a variety of cameras and formats which have different codecs, color encodings, frame rates
and raster sizes. All metadata is taken into account during acquisition and preserved along with
the project and media information.
Since file sizes tend to be large, the real-time playback of media on the timeline may be
compromised. As such, it may be advantageous to transcode the footage to a lower-res format for
the rough cut, and then link back to the original media before applying the final effects and
outputting the sequence. Some cameras can even record in MXF formats that can be handled in
Media Composer without the need to transcode.
The majority of high-resolution (2K+) file-based media comes from devices that have their own
set of Look Up Tables (LUT) for advanced color management. These LUTs may come from the
digital camera on which the footage was recorded, or from color grading done during the dailies
processing. These LUTs need to be incorporated with the incoming media so that Media
Composer can seamlessly apply the necessary color transformations at the appropriate stages
during the editorial process.
Acquisition to Shared Storage
With an Avid shared storage solution, you can quickly increase collaboration in a post facility.
There are Avid storage solutions for facilities with standalone editing systems, as well as larger
networked systems requiring high-resolution storage and bandwidth.
In post productions with high shoot ratios, such as reality TV, an hour of programming can
involve perhaps 100 hours of raw media to process. This requires all media to be copied from the
camera storage or shuttle drive to a more robust shared storage such as a third-party JBOD or a
low-bandwidth Avid ISIS 2000. Editors can link to this media and either edit directly with it or
transcode it to a lower proxy resolution on a high-bandwidth ISIS 5000/7000 storage to get better
performance during playback of sequences.
8
Linking to File-Based Media
When working with media coming directly from digital cameras or other media-creation
applications, many editors use AMA to link to and edit their footage. Editing stations connected
to a digital camera or card reader can link to almost any file-based media to create clips. Linking
to your media, instead of importing it, can potentially save you storage space.
Dynamic Media Folders can be set up to run automated media acquisition actions on the specific
drives/folders where the original media is located. These profiles can be configured to
automatically move and/or transcode the media to a nearline or shared storage. All media is
processed and managed in the background while you do your editing. When ready, you can
update the bins to refresh the metadata for each clip and point to the new path(s) on the nearline
or ISIS storage.
Audio Editing & Mixing
Basic audio tracks with surround sound and audio effects can be created in Media Composer and
later sweetened in Pro Tools. This includes placing markers on the timeline to indicate where
sound effects need to be added.
The key to maintaining a high level of interoperability between Media Composer and Pro Tools
is to use an AAF file. This is currently the best format for transferring and reassembling the
sequence or session composition from one application to another.
Export the audio tracks to an AAF and perform separate exports of the media files (e.g.
QuickTime or MXF) from Media Composer. If the destination Pro Tools system has an Avid
video peripheral or a Video Satellite system, you can also export Avid video tracks as part of the
AAF.
When the AAF is opened in Pro Tools, it populates a new session with all the audio media and/or
video metadata needed to recreate any initial edits done in Media Composer. Pro Tools can also
edit with accompanying video by either importing and viewing a QuickTime file, capturing with
an attached video peripheral, or viewing playback from a connected Media Composer Video
Satellite system.
During the audio editing session, you can enhance the rough audio track (also known as the
"guide track") produced by the video editor. The markers help spot where sound effects need to
be added. You can also view any volume automation, clip gain or pan automation information
imported for individual tracks and easily add and manipulate break points using the Pro Tools
editing functions.
Create other necessary audio tracks for dialog, ADR, foley, music, and sound effects in either
mono or stereo. When the final audio sweetening session is complete, you should mix it down,
and export both the AAF and audio media back to Media Composer.
9
Finishing & Special Effects
Any segments that require special visual effects processing can be sent to a separate internal or
external facility along with the selected source media.
Avid DS and other 3rd-party finishing systems support editing of frame sizes higher than HD and
can be used for finishing and output in a format for digital cinema. Metadata from the editing
functions performed in Media Composer, as well as the path to the media location for
AMA-linked clips, are passed via the AAF/AFE.
The finishing editor will conform the sequence (AAF/AFE/EDL) from Media Composer and
relink to the source files at the original resolution to perform compositing, special effects and
color grading with a deeper set of tools.
Output and Distribution
When the production is complete, the final master can be packaged and output to various
delivery formats for cinema, TV, or web. Depending on your client's delivery specifications, you
will need to either export final sequence with the combined video and audio, or deliver the audio
and video components separately.
Media Composer is currently limited to HDTV broadcast and distribution requirements, however
all the source metadata is carried over n the AAF/AFE export so that the sequences can be
conformed in a finishing application for higher than HD delivery formats.
Output SD/HD
If you are delivering a final master for broadcast or DVD format, you can output file-based
footage in formats as high as HD RGB 4:4:4.
Output for Web
There are a variety of digital file formats (such as QuickTime, MP4, and MXF) for web or
mobile delivery.
Send to Air
Avid video servers handle both small and large facility requirements for playback and playout
operations. The AirSpeed allows you to play out multiple channels at the same time.
Before you can send your sequence to the AirSpeed from an Avid editing system, you must add
the AirSpeed server to your Send To Playback list in the Avid editing application.
10
When the sequence is complete, the editor dynamically relinks to the high-res media and sends
the final sequence to the AirSpeed playout server for broadcast or playback (this option is only
available with Media Composer and NewsCutter).
Multi-Distribution System
Avid’s Interplay Pulse simplifies, speeds, and unifies distribution of content to diverse channels
and devices. Interplay Pulse links production processes with distribution to web, mobile and
social media outlets by orchestrating workflow and automating file preparation and transcoding.
It provides a single interface within iNEWS and/or Interplay Production to create and deliver
content to any selected destination platform.
A high amount of TV productions today fall into the realm of unscripted programs such as
reality shows, talk shows, or lifestyle shows. These programs are typically filmed with a number
of cameras and microphones that are positioned around the set to allow for recordings from
different perspectives. As such, the productions can have very high shoot ratios (30/1 to 100/1)
with every hour of programming involving up to 100 hours of raw media to process.
With the increased availability of digital cameras on the market today, both post and broadcast
facilities need to import or link to high-resolution source material from 2K or higher camera
formats, but continue to edit and output web and TV formats up to HD Rec. 709.
These productions typically do not need use third-party dailies or final color tools. Avid editing
systems are used for the ingest, edit, conform and final color grading. Also, since large amounts
of footage are generated, the media is always edited in proxy/offline for economies in time and
disk space during editorial. For the final finishing stages, the sequences are then transcoded to a
higher resolution and color-corrected for the final delivery.
The illustration below shows a typical workflow for unscripted TV shows using Avid Media
Composer for the entire production process.
11
1
ACQUISITION
2
INGEST & CREATIVE EDITORIAL
5
OUTPUT &
DISTRIBUTION
Audio & Video
cameras or shuttle drives
Avid Media Composer
(Symphony option)
Copy
Final master
VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(HD, SD, DVD,
BLU-RAY, WEB)
AMA-link to source
3rd-party
stack of drives
Transcode
to SD
for offline
Transcode
to HD
for conform
Link to media
ISIS 5000/7000
Storage
Avid Pro Tools
3
AUDIO EDITING/
MIXING
Link to
source media
Final master
Avid DS or
3rd-party
Finishing
application
4
FILM, VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(2K+, HD, SD,
DVD, BLU-RAY, WEB)
FINISHING &
SPECIAL EFFECTS
For detailed procedures, see:
•
“Checklist: File-Based Editing Workflow” on page 19, or
•
“Editing on Interplay” on page 16
•
Acquisition of High-Resolution Media
With a file-based workflow, the footage is already in digital file format so the editing system can
link to media directly on a camera or storage device. Avid systems support media originating
from a variety of cameras and formats which have different codecs, color encodings, frame rates
and raster sizes. All metadata is taken into account during acquisition and preserved along with
the project and media information.
12
Since file sizes tend to be large, the real-time playback of media on the timeline may be
compromised. As such, it may be advantageous to transcode the footage to a lower-res format for
the rough cut, and then link back to the original media before applying the final effects and
outputting the sequence. Some cameras can even record in MXF formats that can be handled in
Media Composer without the need to transcode.
The majority of high-resolution (2K+) file-based media comes from devices that have their own
set of Look Up Tables (LUT) for advanced color management. These LUTs may come from the
digital camera on which the footage was recorded, or from color grading done during the dailies
processing. These LUTs need to be incorporated with the incoming media so that Media
Composer can seamlessly apply the necessary color transformations at the appropriate stages
during the editorial process.
Acquisition via Video Server
(Optional) For broadcast and fast-turnaround media production environments, an AirSpeed
video server is used to capture SD/HD feeds directly to shared Avid storage, freeing the Avid
editing system for editing. This media can be recorded either from incoming broadcast channels
or connected cameras and decks.
The Avid AirSpeed video server can be configured in one of three ways:
•
In a Standalone Video Server environment, the AirSpeed 5000 uses only its own internal
storage for storing clips. Clips can be transferred directly between the Avid Editor (Media
Composer or NewsCutter) and the AirSpeed 5000.
•
In a Team environment, AirSpeed 5000 uses shared storage (no Interplay). Clips are
transferred directly between the AirSpeed 5000 and the shared storage.
•
In an Interplay Production environment, the AirSpeed 5000 operates as a member of an
integrated Interplay workgroup and ISIS Shared storage environment. Clips are transferred
directly between the AirSpeed 5000 and the shared storage.
In an Interplay environment, you can use Interplay Capture and one or more AirSpeed servers,
coupled with the Avid Interplay Low-Res Encoder to simultaneously ingest high-res and low-res
versions of the same media. The assets—master clips, sequences, and bins, along with the
necessary AAF metadata—are automatically checked into the Interplay database. Clips point to
both versions of the media. This way editors can place clips on the timeline, work efficiently
using the low-res media, and simply switch to the high-res media for the final editing and
playout—see “Editing on Interplay” on page 16 for an illustration of this workflow.
While media is being ingested, you can use the Interplay Stream Publish service to automatically
create streamable media that can easily be viewed over a local area network (LAN) or wide area
network (WAN).The Interplay Transcode Service can transcode the high-res media to additional
lower resolutions (proxies) on an as-needed basis.
13
Acquisition to Shared Storage
With an Avid shared storage solution, you can quickly increase collaboration in a post facility.
There are Avid storage solutions for facilities with standalone editing systems, as well as larger
networked systems requiring high-resolution storage and bandwidth.
In post productions with high shoot ratios, such as reality TV, an hour of programming can
involve perhaps 100 hours of raw media to process. This requires all media to be copied from the
camera storage or shuttle drive to a more robust shared storage such as a third-party JBOD or a
low-bandwidth Avid ISIS 2000. Editors can link to this media and either edit directly with it or
transcode it to a lower proxy resolution on a high-bandwidth ISIS 5000/7000 storage to get better
performance during playback of sequences.
Linking to File-Based Media
When working with media coming directly from digital cameras or other media-creation
applications, many editors use AMA to link to and edit their footage. Editing stations connected
to a digital camera or card reader can link to almost any file-based media to create clips. Linking
to your media, instead of importing it, can potentially save you storage space.
Dynamic Media Folders can be set up to run automated media acquisition actions on the specific
drives/folders where the original media is located. These profiles can be configured to
automatically move and/or transcode the media to a nearline or shared storage. All media is
processed and managed in the background while you do your editing. When ready, you can
update the bins to refresh the metadata for each clip and point to the new path(s) on the nearline
or ISIS storage.
Audio Editing & Mixing
Basic audio tracks with surround sound and audio effects can be created in Media Composer and
later sweetened in Pro Tools. This includes placing markers on the timeline to indicate where
sound effects need to be added.
The key to maintaining a high level of interoperability between Media Composer and Pro Tools
is to use an AAF file. This is currently the best format for transferring and reassembling the
sequence or session composition from one application to another.
Export the audio tracks to an AAF and perform separate exports of the media files (e.g.
QuickTime or MXF) from Media Composer. If the destination Pro Tools system has an Avid
video peripheral or a Video Satellite system, you can also export Avid video tracks as part of the
AAF.
14
When the AAF is opened in Pro Tools, it populates a new session with all the audio media and/or
video metadata needed to recreate any initial edits done in Media Composer. Pro Tools can also
edit with accompanying video by either importing and viewing a QuickTime file, capturing with
an attached video peripheral, or viewing playback from a connected Media Composer Video
Satellite system.
During the audio editing session, you can enhance the rough audio track (also known as the
"guide track") produced by the video editor. The markers help spot where sound effects need to
be added. You can also view any volume automation, clip gain or pan automation information
imported for individual tracks and easily add and manipulate break points using the Pro Tools
editing functions.
Create other necessary audio tracks for dialog, ADR, foley, music, and sound effects in either
mono or stereo. When the final audio sweetening session is complete, you should mix it down,
and export both the AAF and audio media back to Media Composer.
Finishing & Special Effects
Any segments that require special visual effects processing can be sent to a separate internal or
external facility along with the selected source media.
Avid DS and other 3rd-party finishing systems support editing of frame sizes higher than HD and
can be used for finishing and output in a format for digital cinema. Metadata from the editing
functions performed in Media Composer, as well as the path to the media location for
AMA-linked clips, are passed via the AAF/AFE.
The finishing editor will conform the sequence (AAF/AFE/EDL) from Media Composer and
relink to the source files at the original resolution to perform compositing, special effects and
color grading with a deeper set of tools.
Output and Distribution
When the production is complete, the final master can be packaged and output to various
delivery formats for cinema, TV, or web. Depending on your client's delivery specifications, you
will need to either export final sequence with the combined video and audio, or deliver the audio
and video components separately.
Media Composer is currently limited to HDTV broadcast and distribution requirements, however
all the source metadata is carried over n the AAF/AFE export so that the sequences can be
conformed in a finishing application for higher than HD delivery formats.
15
Output SD/HD
If you are delivering a final master for broadcast or DVD format, you can output file-based
footage in formats as high as HD RGB 4:4:4.
Output for Web
There are a variety of digital file formats (such as QuickTime, MP4, and MXF) for web or
mobile delivery.
Send to Air
Avid video servers handle both small and large facility requirements for playback and playout
operations. The AirSpeed allows you to play out multiple channels at the same time.
Before you can send your sequence to the AirSpeed from an Avid editing system, you must add
the AirSpeed server to your Send To Playback list in the Avid editing application.
When the sequence is complete, the editor dynamically relinks to the high-res media and sends
the final sequence to the AirSpeed playout server for broadcast or playback (this option is only
available with Media Composer and NewsCutter).
Multi-Distribution System
Avid’s Interplay Pulse simplifies, speeds, and unifies distribution of content to diverse channels
and devices. Interplay Pulse links production processes with distribution to web, mobile and
social media outlets by orchestrating workflow and automating file preparation and transcoding.
It provides a single interface within iNEWS and/or Interplay Production to create and deliver
content to any selected destination platform.
The exchange process between Avid audio and video editing systems can be facilitated with
Avid interconnectivity solutions. Media Composer, NewsCutter, and Pro Tools systems support
integration with Avid’s Interplay asset management system and shared storage.
Both post and broadcast facilities can configure a multi-resolution workflow, that allow
producers, assistants and editors to log, mark and edit large amounts of material quickly and
accurately. With Interplay Access, anyone can search or browse folders that organize assets from
across all workspaces. Interplay tracks the locations of assets, including all resolutions of a
master clip, and allows you to easily pull them into your project.
16
The latest version of Interplay supports check-in and dynamic relink of AMA (Avid Media
Access) material. All AMA-linked clips will be managed in the same robust manner as MXF
Avid-compliant OPAtom files. Productions with high shoot ratios can use a tiered-storage system
where all incoming footage is placed on a low-bandwidth ISIS 2000 storage, linked by AMA and
checked-in to Interplay. From here, select media can be transcoded to the high-bandwidth ISIS
5000/7000 storage at the desired quality for editing.
The following illustration shows how a facility can use the Avid Interplay infrastructure to
manage and efficiently edit large amounts of footage. This post production environment consists
of Avid video, audio and finishing editing stations, Avid ISIS shared storage, and an Avid
Interplay Production driving the media management between the Avid editing systems.
ACQUISITION
Direct Audio & Video
Camera Connection
OUTPUT &
DISTRIBUTION
1
Final master
Avid Media Composer
Copy
2
3
Check-in Bins,
Sequences, Clips
VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(HD, SD, DVD,
BLU-RAY, WEB)
AMA-link to source
ISIS 2000
Nearline Storage
Interplay
Engine
6
4
5
Transcode
media
Dynamic
relink
Consolidate
hi-res media
used in sequence
Check-out/in
edited sequence
Audio & Video
Satellite Feeds
Ingest low &
hi-res media
Link to media
AirSpeed 5000
Video Server
ISIS 5000/7000
Storage
7
Avid Pro Tools
Link to
MXF or hi-res
source media
AUDIO EDITING/
MIXING
Check-out/in
edited sequence
Avid Symphony
Final master
VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(HD, SD, DVD,
BLU-RAY, WEB)
FINISHING & SPECIAL EFFECTS
17
Here is a suggested order in which you can prepare, edit and conform your file-based media in an
Interplay environment:
1. Move the media from the camera or shuttle drives to a more robust, high-capacity drive and
organize the files into a proper folder structure that works best for your facility's
workflows—see “Organizing your File-Based Media” on page 28 for rules on structuring
your folders.
2. After the files are organized, connect the storage to your Avid editing system(s) and
AMA-link to the appropriate folders to create the necessary bins containing the linked
master clips.
3. Check-in the bins to Interplay so that other workstations have access to the media for
editing.
4. Transcode all your footage to a low-res proxy format (e.g. SD or DNxHD 36) resolution
optimized for the offline workflow and place it on a local or shared storage.
5. Any editing stations connected to the Interplay backbone can dynamically link between the
proxy or the original media when editing sequences.
6. If you were working with proxy media, you can dynamically relink back to the
high-resolution AMA material when you want to consolidate a high-res version of your final
sequence to your production ISIS storage. This allows you to finish the sequence using the
original AMA resolution. In this case, only the portions of the AMA material that are used
for the final sequence need to be stored on the production ISIS.
In a broadcast facility, you can transcode the final sequence to the format that you need for a
send-to-playback operation. In a post facility for delivery in an HD format, the sequence can
be transcoded to a HD resolution suitable for finishing and final output.
7. When a sequence is ready for the effects and finishing process, the Media Composer editor
exports an AAF/AFE and checks it in to the Interplay database. The online editor checks-out
the AAF/AFE, and conforms and relinks to the high-resolution media. After adding the
necessary visual effects and finishing touches, the sequence is rendered to the required
delivery format and all the necessary project files and new media are checked back in to
Interplay before the final output.
For the audio mixing and sound effects process, the Avid Media Composer editor can export
the final sequence as an AAF and check it in to the Interplay database. The sound editor
using Avid Pro Tools can import the sequence and relink to the audio files to finalize the
sound editing. The completed mix can then be checked back into Interplay and imported
back into the video editing application for the final synchronization.
For more information on audio-video editing workflows, see the Audio-Video Editing
Workflow Guide and the Pro Tools Avid Interplay Guide.
18
Checklist: File-Based Editing Workflow
This section outlines the basic workflow for linking and editing file-based footage on a Media
Composer system.
n
If you are editing stereoscopic media, you should also refer to the Avid Stereoscopic 3D Editing
Workflow Guide for specific guidelines pertaining to acquiring and editing 3D media.
Follow these steps in the order that they are listed, and return to this checklist each time you
complete a step.
Step
Refer to this section
Before you begin:

There are a number of ways to edit your production “Workflow: Digital Cinema & Scripted TV
with Avid tools. Read about the workflow that best Productions” on page 6
applies to your project.
or
“Workflow: Unscripted TV Production” on
page 11.

Learn how you can link to and edit high-resolution
(2K+) files in the most efficient way.
“Considerations when Editing with
File-Based Media” on page 25.

Learn about high-resolution files and how they are
handled in Media Composer.
“What's the Difference between Resolution
and Size?” on page 41.
“What is Color Management?” on page 44.

Avid’s new dynamic media folders and background “The Avid Media Access (AMA) Workflow”
transcode/consolidate processes bring much more
on page 75.
efficiency to the media acquisition stage. Learn how
you can set up media service profiles to automate
these functions.

Start Media Composer and create a project.
”Creating a New Project” in the help.

Set your project frame size.
”Setting the Project Format to Accomodate
Variable Resolutions” in the help.

Set your project color space.
”Setting the Project Color Space” in the
help.
19
Step

Some media formats are supported natively in Media “Viewing Installed AMA Plug-ins” on
Composer and can be linked or ingested directly.
page 79.
Other formats that are not natively supported will
need supporting AMA plug-ins developed by the
camera manufacturers.

Install the necessary AMA plug-ins on your
workstation.
Go to avid.com/ama to install the latest
plug-ins.

Install QuickTime.
Go to the Apple web site to download
Quicktime.

Enable Avid Media Access (AMA) settings.
“Selecting the AMA Settings” on page 79.

“Starting and Stopping Avid Background
If you intend to use the DMF and Background
Transcode services, make sure that you enable them. Services” in the Media Composer Readme.
n
These services have certain processing
requirements for your system.
“Minimum RAM Recommendation” in the
Media Composer Readme.
Organizing your Media:

Before linking or editing your media, organize it into “Organizing your File-Based Media” on
folders on the appropriate storage to allow for better page 28.
management of your media later in your workflow.

If you will be sharing media with other Avid editing
systems:

MXF media: Place it in the Avid MediaFiles
folder on a shared storage (\Avid
MediaFiles\MXF).

Original media: Place it in a designated folder
on a shared storage, and make sure the other
editing stations have access to it.

Set the storage location for any transcoded or
consolidated media.

For media coming directly from the camera:

“Media Creation Settings” in the Help.
Connect any camera or portable media drive to
your system. The device will be recognized as
a volume on your system from which you can
read the media files.
20
Step

Copy the media from the camera or portable
drive to a designated folder on a storage
device.
“Manually Copying File-Based Media to a
FireWire or Network Drive” on page 81.
This can also be done with DMFs and
automated profiles.
“Creating Dynamic Media Folders” on
page 82.
n

Avid recommends that you first create a
profile to do the copy. If you intend to
do other functions, such as transcode,
this can be done with a separate profile
later in the process.
If you will be using media that has been
pre-processed on a Dailies system:

MXF media: Place it in the Avid MediaFiles
folder on your Avid editing system or a shared
storage (\Avid MediaFiles\MXF).

Quicktime media: Place it in a designated
folder of your choice.

Place the AAF/ALE and any LUTs created by
the dailies application in the same folder as
their associated media files.
Linking and Preparing Clips:

Use AMA to link to the original camera footage.
“Linking Media with AMA” on page 89.

“Creating Dynamic Media Folders” on
page 82.
Optional. Create linked clips automatically
using Dynamic Media Folders (DMFs).

To acquire MXF or Quicktime media created by a
“Linking to MXF Media” on page 64.
dailies application, use an AAF to link to the media.

If you have any additional information for your
clips, such as additional changes to the media done
by 3rd-party applications, you can import this
metadata using log files (ALE).
“Merging Additional Metadata for Clips” on
page 65.

Add metadata to your master clips that will be
required for downstream processes.
“Embedding Metadata in your Clips” on
page 30 and “Preparing your File-based
Clips for Downstream Processes” on
page 31.
21
Step

To prepare the media for editorial, you may want to “Changing Source Properties on a Master
apply certain changes, such as color adjustments,
Clip” on page 45.
directly on the source media.
These changes should be applied to the AMA-linked
clips rather than the transcoded clips. This way,
these source changes will be available if you need to
conform and link back to the AMA clips.

Set the appropriate color space for your
acquired media.

For certain media types, you can also use the
respective AMA plug-in to adjust the color
settings. If the plug-in is installed on your
system, there will be an additional tab called
AMA Source Settings in the Source Settings
dialog box.

Import external LUTs into Media Composer
so that you can use them to adjust the color
properties of the acquired media.
“Applying External LUTs to your Media” on
page 58.

Apply (or ignore) custom color metadata
attached to your media.
“Using Color Decision Lists (CDLs)” on
page 60.

If you want to remove unnecessary areas from “Reframing your Media” on page 47.
certain clips, you can use FrameFlex to set
new frame dimensions.

If necessary, reformat some or all of your clips “Reformatting the Media to fit the Project
to fit the project frame size.
Frame Size” on page 52.
“Setting the Color Properties of Acquired
Media” on page 55.
Consolidating or Transcoding your Media:

Linking to high resolution files via AMA can be
“Editing with Low-Resolution Proxy Media”
both processor and storage intensive. If you require on page 61.
better performance, you may want to consolidate or
transcode your media and work with
lower-resolution (proxy) versions of the media.

If you are working with high amounts of media files “Creating Dynamic Media Folders” on
that need to be transcoded, you can automate the
page 82.
consolidate/transcode process to run in the
“Transcoding a Bin” on page 61.
background by setting up an automated profile.
22

Step
If you have already created sequences that link to
high-resolution media, you can transcode the
sequence to a different resolution.
“Transcoding a Sequence” on page 62.
Editing your sequence:

Perform the offline editorial using the proxy clips.

If you need to perform any reframing or panning on “Reframing your Media” on page 47.
your clips, it must be applied on the proxy clips in
“Panning a Shot” on page 50.
the bin.
“Reformatting the Media to fit the Project
Frame Size” on page 52.

The sequence must then be refreshed to update “Refreshing Sequences to Use Current Clip
these changes onto any clips that are already Attributes” in the Help.
on the timeline.
Exporting your sequence for finishing on other systems:

To finish and master the entire sequence (or just
certain segments) in another application, it will be
necessary to export an AAF/AFE.
“Exporting Sequences to External
Applications” on page 72.
You will also need to send the corresponding source
media at the best quality.

If the finishing system needs to relink to the
original camera essence, then you need to
relink to the AMA-linked clips before
exporting the AAF/AFE.
n
“Relinking to Source Media for Conform
and Finishing” on page 63.
If you are working with high-res files,
do not use the option to extend handles
beyond the master clip edges.
23
Step

If the finishing system will use the same HD
media, you should first make a copy of the
sequence, move it to its own bin, decompose it
(with handles as desired), select ALL master
clips, and export as ALE with appropriate
columns visible in the bin.
Some AMA-linked media may need to be
transcoded before being transferred to Avid
DS. In this case you need to transcode your
sequence before exporting the AFE.
Transcoded media is placed in the Avid
MediaFiles\MXF folder on your storage. In a
networked environment using Avid shared
storage, this path may include your machine
name.

To finish your sequence in Avid DS.
“Conforming & Finishing Sequences with
Avid DS” on page 142.
Exporting your sequence for sweetening on other
systems:

You can create some basic audio tracks with
surround sound and audio effects in Media
Composer and send these tracks to Avid Pro Tools
for sweetening.

“Exporting Sequences to External
Applications” on page 72.
When the final audio sweetening session is
complete, it is mixed down, and both the AAF
and audio media are exported back for use in
Media Composer.
Outputting your sequence:

If you have been using proxy clips for editing, you
can relink to the source AMA clips so that you can
finish and output at a better quality.

If necessary, transcode your sequence to an HD
resolution required for the final delivery. The
transcoded sequence will automatically be linked to
the new transcoded media.

Color correct and apply effects to your clips.

Add the necessary titles to your sequence.
“Relinking to Source Media for Conform
and Finishing” on page 63.
24
Step

Render the effects in your final sequence to avoid
any dropping of frames during the output process.

Output the final sequence to the appropriate medium
for delivery.

If you want to create a master with a different “Viewing Sequences with Mask Regions” on
aspect ratio than the project setting, you can
page 66.
specify mask margins on the output frame in
order to change the dimensions of the output
image.

If you have a HD sequence and need to output
to SD, then you need to first downconvert the
project.

Output your project to a tape deck or disc
recorder,
or

Export your project to a media file such as a
QuickTime movie.
“Exporting Sequences to File” on page 70.
Your Avid editing system can work directly with footage that is already in digital file format,
such as files from digital video cameras or film scanning processes. Avid Media Access (AMA)
is a plug-in architecture that allows you to link to clips and preview footage directly from a
storage device without necessarily importing the media into your storage.
To link to a particular file-based format, you need the appropriate AMA plug-in installed on your
editing system. There are a number of AMA plug-ins that can be downloaded from the
Avid.com/AMA web page or participating third-party web sites. Install the plug-ins designed for
the types of media that you will be editing.
You may begin editing with the linked source material immediately. If the media management
needs of the project are not great, the project does not require several streams of video to play
concurrently (as with multicam sources), and the CPU and storage is up to the task, then the
offline process can continue using linked media.
25
System performance when editing with linked media also depends on whether the Avid editing
system supports the media format natively or non-natively. NATIVE codec support means you
can work with the camera media without the need to transcode first. NON-NATIVE codec
support means that the media must first be imported or transcoded before the Avid system can
manage it.
Media formats that have native codecs can be consolidated. Consolidating simply rewraps your
files as Avid MXF OPAtom media, and places them into the Avid MediaFiles folder for
indexing. Consolidating preserves the camera's original codec e.g. XDCAM stays XDCAM;
DVCPRO HD remains DVCPRO-HD. The respective storage rates of the data, however, are not
reduced when media is consolidated given the same original span of the media.
Media that is non-native can also be linked and edited with AMA, however, with some file
formats, there may be performance delays when playing the clips. Should you need better
playback performance, you can transcode the original files to low-resolution proxies.
Transcoding takes the original essence and converts it to either Avid HD or SD media in a
different codec with a data rate of choice. If you are transcoding to SD, then you can expect
much less storage requirements for the offline. If you transcode to HD, depending on the
resolution you go with, you may get little or no storage reduction benefit, but will appreciate the
improved performance with Avid’s native DNxHD codec.
If you are using shuttle drives that go back and forth between the field/film set and the
post-production facility, the media should first be copied to a more robust storage. When you
have large amounts of footage to preview, you may have several of these storage devices
connected to an Avid system. Moving your original camera essence to a nearline ISIS storage or
3rd-party JBOD (stack of drives) allows you to keep a safe location for all your incoming
footage. It also gives you the opportunity to organize your files into a folder structure that
facilitates the searching, editing, and management of the media. Although this means that a lot of
capacity is required to hold media that might be discarded later in the editorial, it will certainly
save you time during the editing process.
This footage can then be transcoded to a lower resolution for editing. The transcoded media is
best placed on a central storage for all Avid systems to access. Transcoding all the camera files to
low-res proxies on a high-bandwidth primary storage saves space and allows you to work with
better playback performance for the editorial. For the finishing, you may then transcode just the
required media to a higher, output-quality resolution on the primary storage. Finally, if your
project needs to be delivered in a higher-than-HD format, you can consolidate and move the
original camera essence to a primary storage where it can be accessed by the finishing
applications.
26
1
ACQUISITION
2
5
OUTPUT &
DISTRIBUTION
Audio & Video
cameras or shuttle drives
Avid Media Composer
(Symphony option)
Copy
Final master
VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(HD, SD, DVD,
BLU-RAY, WEB)
AMA-link to source
3rd-party
stack of drives
Transcode
to SD
for offline
Transcode
to HD
for conform
Link to media
ISIS 5000/7000
Storage
Avid Pro Tools
3
Link to
source media
AUDIO EDITING/
MIXING
Final master
Avid DS or
3rd-party
Finishing
application
4
FILM, VIDEO or WEB
DELIVERABLES
(2K+, HD, SD,
DVD, BLU-RAY, WEB)
FINISHING &
SPECIAL EFFECTS
In an Avid Interplay environment, the relink process is dynamically managed. The system tracks
the different media qualities and spans, then automatically links to the resolution that you request
for HD and SD finishing workflows. On editing systems that are not managed by Interplay, you
will need to self-organize your original and transcoded clips. As an example, you can organize
your clips into separate “source” and “proxy” bins to allow you to differentiate between the
different media qualities. This will allow you to open and use the appropriate bin depending on
the resolution that you require for either the editorial or finishing stage.
Here is a suggested order in which you can prepare, edit and conform your file-based media:
1. Move the media from the camera drives to a more robust, high-capacity drive and organize
the files into a proper folder structure that works best for your facility's workflows—see
“Organizing your File-Based Media” on page 28 for rules on structuring your folders.
2. After the files are organized, connect the storage to your Avid editing system(s) and
AMA-link to the appropriate folders to create the necessary bins containing the linked
master clips.
27
3. At this time you should create any necessary columns in your bins and add information that
will properly identify your clips for the downstream conform process.
4. Any preparation of media for the editorial process should take place on the AMA-linked
master clips so that they will available for the conform stage as well. These adjustments
typically include general color and spatial adjustments that need to be applied to all files
from the same camera. When transcoding your media, you will have the option to apply
these adjustments to the new media.
5. Transcode all your footage to a low-res format (e.g. SD or DNxHD 36) resolution optimized
for the offline workflow and place it on a local or shared storage.
6. Build a rough-cut of your sequence by previewing and cutting with the proxy clips.
Once you start editing with the proxies, any further color or spatial adjustments need to be
applied to the source proxy clips in the bin. You then need to refresh the sequence(s) in order
to propagate the adjustments.
7. If your Avid editing application has difficulty with real-time preview of effects, you can
either render your effects to create new media, or try changing the timeline setting from
green/green to green/yellow or yellow/yellow—see “Options for Controlling Real-Time
Effects Playback” in the help.
8. Relink your sequence to the bins holding the AMA clips and continue the finishing process
on Media Composer, or export the sequences as AAF/AFEs for finishing and effects on
other editing systems..
9. Transcode the sequence to a higher-resolution for the finishing and output.
For detailed procedures on each of the steps above, see “Checklist: File-Based Editing
Workflow” on page 19.
Avid recommends moving all your camera footage to a robust storage, and organizing the source
files in a manner that will ease the search for specific footage. You can structure and name the
parent folders as you see fit (e.g. REDCAM1, REDCAM2, Day 1, Day 2) but it is important that
the actual card structures from the camera remain as they were shot. Typically, these folders
contain metadata files that need to remain with the camera media.
28
When organizing your files, keep the following in mind:
•
Folder names should be limited to 14 characters.
•
Folders names should be only letters, numbers, and underscores – no spaces or symbols. You
will not be able to AMA link to a volume or file if the file path name has an illegal character.
AMA clips display offline if the file path name you are linking to contains illegal characters,
including < > : “ / | ? *. for Windows and : for Macintosh.
•
During the AMA-linking process, you can select a subfolder containing the media files.
AMA can find and link to these files as long as they are not more than 2 folder levels down
from the selected folder.
•
Windows UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths are supported with AMA media. You
can move your AMA bins from a Windows system to a Macintosh system and from a
Macintosh system to a Windows system. The media files need to reside in the same shared
location when you move the bins to and from different operating systems.
After all media has been moved to the storage, create an archive of the organized drive for
backup.
During the editorial process:
•
Do not rename or reorganize the folders with the original media once the editorial has begun.
•
Do not delete the clips or bins created by the AMA process. You can close them and reopen
them later when you need to relink to the original media either on Media Composer or
another editing system.
29
In most post-production workflows, you can pre-process your media in a third-party dailies
application, edit a program in an Avid editing system, and then transfer your program to another
Avid or third-party system for final finishing. Similarly, within Media Composer, you can start
by linking to source media, edit with low-res media (proxies), and then relink back to the source
media for output.
Unlike tape-based workflows—where tapes are physically labeled and correlate to those labels
when captured—it is easy to loose track of file-based media. The only physical source is a file on
a drive. If a file is moved from the location where it was at the time the initial ingest was done,
finding the media can become a very manual process. If you intend to move your projects to or
from other systems for pre-processing, effects, or finishing, something important to note is the
origins of the source files.
Avid recognizes and tracks the filename and this should not be changed. Other systems might
interpret Source or Reel ID as filename options, which can have an impact on the relinking to the
source files or final conform. Also, some of the dailies solutions that license the Avid Media
Toolkit (AMT) can create native MXF-wrapped DNxHD media directly from the system.
Third-party applications will each manage the source essence metadata differently.
Additional bin columns with information such as Camroll, Camera, Labroll, etc. should also be
added to the master clips prior to performing any transcodes. Although these column names are
rooted in film-centric workflows, they can be used in a more modern, file-based context. Camroll
could be the "card" number or asset number assigned by the production; Camera could be the
manufacturer and model of the Camera, and Labroll could be the RAID drive itself (Labroll
being appropriate since it's the amalgamation of several camera rolls). This may become useful
downstream, as these columns can be used as source in an EDL.
The strength of Media Composer’s metadata management allows for all formats of source
tracking to be managed and output in either EDLs or AAFs as needed in the post-production
pipeline. You can create as many user-defined entries as desired—they will all be tracked and
made available for downstream use. For a complete listing of all data entries that can be tracked,
managed and manipulated, refer to the Avid Metadata Logging and Tracking document in Avid
Knowledge Base.
Any additional information that you are adding, for file tracking or as notes, needs to be applied
on the original master clips (and not on the transcoded proxy clips) so that the information is
carried from the offline to online editorial—see “Preparing your File-based Clips for
Downstream Processes” on page 31.
30
Preparing your File-based Clips for Downstream Processes
Many productions may choose to use AMA to quickly view the footage in real time, make notes
and comments, then transcode to an offline resolution. The advantage of this process is that all
notes and comments created at this point will persist throughout the editorial.
Any information, along with additional comments and media descriptions must be applied to the
source clips (and not on the transcoded proxy clips) so that the metadata is available when
relinking the sequence back to the original camera essence. If the sequences will be finished with
other editing systems, this metadata will also be needed for further processes.
For a complete listing of all data entries that can be tracked, refer to the Avid Metadata Logging
and Tracking document on avid.com.
To add information to the master clips:
1. Change the default bin display by adding the necessary columns to the bin holding the
source clips. Amongst others, the column headings that should be shown include: Name,
Take, Camera, Camroll, Labroll, Tracks, FPS, Format, Video, Auxiliary TC1, Start, End,
Duration, Drive, Tape ID, Source File, Source Path.
2. Create a custom bin display setting and save it.
At the bottom of the bin, there is a button labelled “Untitled” by default. Click on it and
choose Save As... to enter a name for the bin display.
3. Create other bins that you will use to store your file-based media, and apply the custom bing
display setting to them so that the necessary columns will be displayed.
4. Refer to the tables below for further actions that need to be taken for certain bin columns.
If your workflow involves...
Take these steps...
Relinking between source and transcoded clips If your editing system is not within an Interplay
environment, you will need to manually relink to the
clips of the desired quality.
See “Metadata for Relinking Processes” on page 33.
31
If your workflow involves...
Take these steps...
Creating DNxHD proxy material via a dailies
process
The important consideration here is how the source files
are going to be created by the dailies creation systems.
These systems will always put some form of source
filename in the Tape column.
See “Metadata Interchange for Applications using Avid
Media Toolkit (AMT)” on page 35.
Exchanging clips/sequences via an EDL:
See “Metadata for EDL Interchange” on page 34.
Exchanging clips/sequences via an AAF:
Some third-party systems do not recognize conforming
sources being tracked in the Source File column when
using AAF as legacy workflow and vendors’
implementations have always been to track sources in
the Tape field.
See “Metadata for AAF Interchange” on page 34.
Repurposing Audio Data from BWF Files:
When AutoSyncing, Media Composer always defaults
the name of the resulting .sync clip to the name of the
video clip. But in a file-based world, the name of the file
is a less than relevant name to the editor, such as
A004C010_20100610_R1JL in the case of an
ARRI-created ProRes file. If the Scene and Take were
logged on set, the resulting Name of the clip, once
imported, will be Scene/Take in the “Name” column.
Before AutoSyncing, create a custom column and
duplicate the contents of the “Name” column into that
column by using “command-D” or “control-D” and
selecting SoundRoll from the pop up dialog box. Once
the clips are synced, select the custom column with the
Scene/Take information and duplicate it back into the
Name column. In two easy steps, all clip names from
that day’s dailies are named.
The entire BWF filename ends up in the TapeID column,
which is not available to EDL Manager as a source when
generating EDLs. It is suggested that you highlight the
entire TapeID column and create a “duplicate column”
by using a “command-D” or “control-D” and selecting
SoundRoll from the pop up dialog box. This will copy
the entire contents from one column to another and is
now available in EDL manager as a source reel.
32
Metadata for Relinking Processes
AMA offers the advantage of allowing you to transcode material to a lower resolution at any
stage of the process. In order to easily relink between your source and transcoded clips, you need
to do the following:
•
Verify that the frame rate of your original clips matches the frame rate of your project. e.g. if
your media is 23.98 fps, you must be working in a 23.98 fps project.
•
Make sure that you make the adjustments as described in the table below.
You will be required to create custom columns and duplicate information between columns.
If you don’t know how to do so, refer to Adding Customized Columns to a Bin” and
“Copying Information from Another Cell in a Custom Bin Column” in the help.
Column
Take these steps...
Name
Initially, this is the name of the camera file. You can rename this to something more
relevant (i.e. Scene 32B-2, instead of MVI_3722)
Drive
Important! The drive name will change after you transcode to SD so add it to the
Tape ID or other custom column to keep a record of where the clips originally came
from.
Tape ID
If this column does not already contain data, select the “Drive” column and duplicate
into this column. (Choose Control + D (Windows) Command + D (Mac) and select
Tape ID from the window that pops up.)
n
Important: If TapeID already contains metadata, already as in the case of
BWF import, then create a custom column to place the Drive information.
Take
Copy the file name into the Take column, thus preserving the original file name (in
case the clip gets renamed during editorial).
Camera
Enter the camera model number into this column (example: 5D, 7D, 60D, C300,
Sony F3, REDONE, P2) since once the clips is transcoded and/or renamed, it will be
less apparent what camera created the file.
Camroll
Use this field to introduce a “Tape Name,” a barcode number, an asset or library
number etc.
Auxiliary TC1
Important! Since Avid v5.5, all Quicktime-based sources that lack native TC have
their creation date dropped into this column in the form of video TC. (Example: a 5D
file created 20 seconds after 8:30pm would thus become 20:30:10:00)
•
Do not apply an Avid Tape Name. This will interfere with the relink during conform. Instead
use Camroll as the proper field to introduce a “Tape Name”, a barcode number, an asset or
library number, etc.
33
Metadata for AAF Interchange
AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) is an open standard originally initiated by Avid, but quickly
adopted by many vendors, hence an association was created. The association is now called the
Advanced Media Workflow Association (http://www.amwa.tv/) and anyone can join and
participate in the definition of the open standard.
There are two types of AAF export available in Media Composer: AAF and AAF Protocol. AAF
Protocol is a subset of the AAF, as its primary goal is to establish a well-defined, albeit more
constrained, set of the AAF to ensure 100% compatibility between vendors. An AAF Edit
Protocol may not support all the latest VFX and layer/nested elements in a composition. As such,
it sits between an EDL (most basic representation of a sequence) and AAF (most rich
representation of a sequence). The added advantage of AAF Edit Protocol export with Media
Composer is that it can be used for media that is currently being managed and edited via AMA.
The richer form of the AAF file can only be exported if the AMA-linked media has been
transcoded and managed by Avid in the Avid MediaFiles folder structure. The same goes for
EDL creation; in order to create an EDL from an active AMA-linked sequence you open the bin
directly from within EDL Manager as the integrated "get sequence" function relies on an AAF
interchange.
Some third-party systems do not recognize conforming sources being tracked in the Source File
column when using AAF as legacy workflow and vendors' implementations have always been to
track sources in the Tape field. If this scenario presents itself, generating an EDL will solve the
problem at the risk of losing some of the supported additional VFX metadata.
AAF export presents a variety of options, but when referencing the original camera assets and
not the MXF proxy, a "link to" is all that is needed. Additional management is based on track
selection as well as spans within the track, depending on conform needs at the time of
generation. For example, just the video tracks may be sent to a DI color correction system, while
an audio-only AAF is sent to an Avid Pro Tools system. There are no further options to select as
all related metadata of the sources and sequence creative decisions are in the AAF file.
Before generating the AAF, the user may want to simplify the sequence, especially in the case of
multicam sources. Instead of sending all the sources, whether they were used or not, the
sequence can be optimized to remove the group information and only reference the active camera
angle/take used in the final sequence.
Metadata for EDL Interchange
In Media Composer, the following columns can be used for source identification in an EDL
depending on where that source file name is being tracked:
•
Tape
•
Source File
34
The following are available as options to override Tape or Source File if needed.
•
Labroll
•
Camroll
•
SoundRoll
As mentioned earlier, depending on how dailies got created: via a third-party system, direct tape
capture, or AMA/Import, the source identification will most likely fall into either the “Tape” or
Source File” column in the bin. Since an EDL has to have some form of reel ID, Tape and Source
File are combined as the default setting for EDLs. The result is that EDL Manager will first look
to a value in Tape and use that; if none is found, then it will look to Source File. If there is no
modification of sources by the user, there will never be a value in both columns at the same time;
it is either one or the other.
In some scenarios, a version of the source file may exist in either Tape/Source File and in a
column such as Labroll or Camroll. This is due to the fact that some cameras such as RED and
ARRI ALEXA will provide an 8-character version of the filename to either support a legacy
CMX3600 EDL format or NLE system that does not track and generate full filenames in the
EDL. In these scenarios, the “8 character” Reel ID can usually be found in either the Labroll or
Camroll columns.
Here’s an example of an ARRI ALEXA ProRes recorded file where there are two source file
names available for the same file:
•
A064C001_120524_R2G4
•
A064R2G4
The longer file name will be tracked in either the Tape or Source File column, while the shorter
8-character version will be in either the Labroll or Camroll column. How and where these file
names get tracked is based on a variety of factors: where the vendors choose to track them, where
the software solution providers decide to track them, and in the end, where the individual user
wants to track them.
Any of this information, along with additional comments and media descriptions, must be
applied to the source clips (and not on the transcoded proxy clips) so that the metadata is
available when relinking the sequence back to the original camera essence—see “Preparing your
File-based Clips for Downstream Processes” on page 31.
Metadata Interchange for Applications using Avid Media Toolkit (AMT)
Some of the dailies solutions that license the Avid Media Toolkit (AMT) can create native MXF
wrapped DNxHD media directly from the system. Some systems may only use the freely
available Avid DNxHD QuickTime codecs and create the same essence with a QuickTime
wrapper rather than MXF. All of these can work, but will have some impact on different parts of
35
the workflow and the amount of source essence metadata being managed. Also note that native
MXF-wrapped DNxHD media cannot be imported directly into a bin. These files must be copied
or moved to a folder within the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/ folder hierarchy.
A few things to keep in mind when using footage created by AMT in third-party applications:
n
•
Media created by these solutions are not associated with an Avid project name. These files
can be used in any project, but when looking at them in the Avid MediaTool, they will not be
associated with a project. The only way to associate media with a project is to have that
project create the media in the first place via a tape capture, import, link, render or transcode.
•
Source ID of the original camera media is only tracked in the TAPE column once in Media
Composer. Only AMA and direct import into Avid will use the original filename (as seen at
the directory level including extension) in the Source File column. There may very well be a
mismatch between this and a direct import of the same file, which needs to be considered
and managed accordingly. Media Composer now has improved flexibility in relinking files
being tracked in different columns and with varying different nomenclature.
•
Some systems will insert both the filename and the reel ID from raw files into the ALE file
that can then be merged to the dailies to have both sources being tracked. Other systems will
allow exporting of MXF wrapped DNxHD without any Tape or Source File ID which will
cause problems in relink or conform downstream. Ensure that a REEL ID is always
assigned.
•
Audio transcoded via AMT does not have the ability to be addressed on the ¼ frame
boundary for accurate sub-frame syncing. This feature only works when audio media is
created within a film-based project (35mm, 3 perf or 35mm, 4 perf) in Media Composer.
The new iXML AMA plug-in will not allow subframe resync when in a film project.
•
Limited metadata is added to the MXF wrapper, usually containing the source ID and
timecode via the START column only. All other metadata is typically exported as an ALE
file (Avid Log Exchange), if offered, which can be merged into the master clips before
editing starts.
Any of this information, along with additional comments and media descriptions, must be
applied to the source clips (and not on the transcoded proxy clips) so that the metadata is
available when relinking the sequence back to the original camera essence—see “Preparing your
File-based Clips for Downstream Processes” on page 31.
36
1 Section 1: Media Composer
1 Section 1: Media Composer
38
2 Working with High-Resolution Media
The following diagram shows the different points in the pipeline where you will be able to set
your image format properties for display and output. It also indicates the places where the color
transformations are applied in order to maintain the proper color appearance from acquisition to
output.
Only displays region within output frame size/mask
Composer
View
Full Screen Playback
External Monitor
Outputs only region
within output
frame size/mask
Set the Raster Dimensions
& output frame size in the
project format settings
OUTPUT
TO TAPE
Set the color space for
the project
Set the mask region in the
Target settings
1
Open/Create
New Project
2
Link
Media
Set the Source Size and
framing area in the
Source settings
MEDIA
Interpret/set the
incoming media’s
color encoding
& format
Capture
Media
framing area in the
Capture Tool
Import
Media
framing area in the
Import settings
3
Edit Sequence
4
Apply Effects
5
Output Sequence
3
Reformats media to
project settings
Uses the project settings
to play back the effect
Transforms original color
encoding to the
project color space
EXPORT
TO FILE
Media is saved at the original
format
The color information can
be saved on disk along with
the media
The render operation
generates precomputes
using the project settings
Exports only region
within output
frame size (with
option to set a
different frame size)
STORAGE
Option to transcode to the
working resolution (proxy)
and color space
1. Open/Create a Project
Media will originate from different sources such as file-based cameras, film frames scanned to
files, SD or HD tapes, and even computer-generated motion graphics. Each of these media
sources can have arbitrary sizes, resolution, frame rates, compression and color encoding (color
model, gamma, bit depth, etc.).
Media Composer gives you the ability to capture, import, or link to media coming from different
sources, regardless of their resolution, and mix them freely in the timeline. Of course, all this
media needs be output to one frame size, hence it is important to set a common frame size in the
Avid editing application.
The application also needs to use a common color space for all media in the project so that a
common transformation model is applied to all incoming media.
Step 2. Acquire and Interpret Quality of the File-based Footage
When linking to media, you have access to all of the pixels in the source image. However, to fit
the final delivery format, you need to set the project size so that media of different sizes and
formats can be reformatted to specification.
File-based media can be linked or imported. Linking to media via AMA allows you to view the
image in its original format. Importing the media reformats the image to the frame size of the
project. If you link your clips, you will be able to view the media in its full resolution and thus
have greater flexibility when mapping the media to the project settings. You can use the full
image or select a region to be framed, and then choose how to format the media to the SD or HD
project size.
When the master clips are created in the bin, any associated color metadata (coming either from
the camera or other upstream processing) can also be detected and applied. Media Composer
keeps all source metadata with the master clips. This metadata will also carry over in the
AAF/AFE export so that the sequences can be conformed in a finishing application for higher
than HD delivery formats.
Step 3: Edit the Sequence
For the editing process, the project format in Media Composer is currently restricted to HDTV
broadcast and distribution requirements. Once a clip is placed on the timeline, it will reformat to
fit the media conversion settings that you have chosen for your project.
For further efficiency during the editorial, there is the option to transcode to a lower resolution
(proxy).
Step 4. Apply Effects
Any effects applied to clips on the timeline will be applied to the area of the image displayed in
the viewer. These will be processed on-the-fly during playback, and any precomputes will be
rendered to the disk storage. (Note: Processing is done using the settings in the Media Creation
dialog).
40
What's the Difference between Resolution and Size?
Step 5: Output the Final Sequence
Avid editing applications give you the ability to output your sequences to a format suitable for
TV broadcast or DVD/BluRay.
For now, sequences can only be output to the Rec 709 color space which is the standard for
HDTV. This color space can then be changed at the final output stage to match a different
delivery format. For example if you've been working in an HD format, you can switch to
standard-definition (SD), and the colors will automatically be converted for an ITU 601 color
space and any effects recomputed if necessary.
Refer to the following topics for further information on working with high-resolution media:
•
•
What is Color Management?
•
Changing Source Properties on a Master Clip
•
Reframing your Media
•
Reformatting the Media to fit the Project Frame Size
•
Setting the Color Properties of Acquired Media
•
Editing with Low-Resolution Proxy Media
•
Relinking to Source Media for Conform and Finishing
•
Linking to MXF Media
•
Rendering Effects
•
Viewing Sequences with Mask Regions
•
Exporting Sequences to File
•
Exporting Sequences to External Applications
Quite often, the terms resolution and size are used interchangeably. There is a difference between
the two and it's important that we clarify the meaning of each one so that you understand how
your media is formatted in the editing application.
The resolution of the media refers to the number of pixels that compose the image. Naturally,
the more pixels in the image, the higher your resolution will be, and the better the quality of the
image. The resolution is typically defined by the number of pixel columns (width) by the number
of pixel rows (height).
41
HD images are usually 1920 by 1080, and high resolution images are typically 2K and above.
These resolutions vary depending on the camera that shot the footage. For example, an ARRI 3K
image is 2880 x 1620, whereas a RED 3K image is 3072 x 1728.
The size refers to the physical space that the image occupies in a particular display or print area.
Size is simply used to provide a common reference for the framing of images of different
resolutions.
Let's use the analogy of a digital photo that you want to have printed and framed. Your photo is
shot at a high quality resolution e.g. 3264 x 2448 and you want to print it to fit in a 5” x 7”
picture frame, as well as in a 15” x 20” frame. When the photo is enlarged to fit in the larger
frame size, each pixel increases in size. Thus, when looking at each of the photos up close, the
image in the smaller frame will be much sharper. The number of pixels, however, remains the
same. They are just more tightly packed in the smaller frame size.
20”
7”
5”
15”
There will be cases when the image is required to fit into an frame size that is of different
dimensions than the original image. For example, if the 5” x 7” photo had to be framed into a
6” x 9” picture frame, it could either be cropped or left as is and framed with a matte.
42
9”
9”
6”
6”
Crop
Matte
Similar choices can be made when editing video. The examples below show how an image can
be framed in the Avid editing application. An image can be rescaled, cropped, or padded to fit
the project frame size. The pixels in the image are simply shrunk or enlarged as necessary.
EXAMPLE A
EXAMPLE B
Fit to projection frame
1:1 mapping
Pixels remain the same size
Standard SD image 720 x 486
pixels are stretched to fit to 16:9 projection frame
or enlarged proportionally and padded with black
Standard HD image 1920 x 1080
fits directly in HD 16:9
projection frame
1920 x 1080
resolution
9
720 x 486
resolution
9
16
720 x 486
resolution
9
16
16
EXAMPLE C
High-res RED 3K image
can be fit to frame
or cropped
9
Fit to projection frame
Keep same size
Pixels are shrunk to
fit the frame size
Pixels remain the same size
Image can be cropped
to fit the frame size
3072 x 1728
resolution
3072 x 1728
resolution
9
16
16
43
Since most cameras record at a high precision, it would be ideal to preserve the maximum
precision and color range right through the editing process. Color management enables you to
retain the colors of the original images and maintain that color appearance during editing.
During acquisition (either by baseband capture, import or link to file), Media Composer will
automatically detect the color encoding of the footage and will allow you to choose the color
space that best matches the footage. Media Composer will perform the necessary color
transformation of the footage in order to map the colors to internal application functions.
The color space that you choose depends on your final delivery format needs. For this release of
Media Composer, color mapping is limited to Rec. 709 which is suitable for HDTV broadcast. If
you are delivering a master for cinema distribution, then you can leave your color space as is and
let the colorist do the necessary color transformations in the finishing tool.
The original color encoding will remain with the master clip metadata for use throughout the
editing pipeline, ready to translate the image's colors for other devices at any given point (e.g. for
viewing on the monitors). Part of the color encoding includes "look" tables (or LUTs) that can be
passed along with the media to ensure that a consistent color is applied to all related footage. The
color management system will take the colors in an image and map them as accurately as
possible to the color model chosen for the editing process. This color mapping is either done
'on-the-fly', or can be rendered to new media after any effects are applied.
Color mapping also takes place on each device where you view the footage. The Avid system can
be connected to a variety of monitors, and each model will display colors differently. For
example, say that a certain color coming from a digital camera is turquoise blue (represented by
RGB numbers R75, G201, and B220), but appears closer to sea green on a monitor. The color
management system needs to translate the RGB numbers to the equivalent numbers required by
the monitor in order to preserve the turquoise blue appearance. This translation is performed by
setting the appropriate color profile on the monitor. (Note: For this release, only Rec. 709 color
profiles will be supported on the viewers and external monitors.) If you want to simulate the
colors as they will be projected for final delivery, then you can must calibrate your external
monitor accordingly.
44
ACQUISITION
INTERPRET COLOR ENCODING
& MAP COLORS TO INTERNAL
COLOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
EDITING
EDIT IN REC 709 COLOR SPACE
OUTPUT &
DISTRIBUTION
RENDER & OUTPUT COLORS
IN REC 709 COLOR SPACE
HD 4:4:4
WEB
DELIVERABLES
VIDEO
DELIVERABLES
(HD, SD, DVD, BLU-RAY)
High-resolution scanned files
CG
Computer-generated files
High-resolution
digital camera files
Avid Media Composer
FILM
DELIVERABLES
EXPORT AAF/AFE WITH
ORIGINAL SOURCE FILE
METADA FOR FINISHING
IN OTHER APPLICATIONS
To ease the editorial process, Avid provides a number of tools to preview the original essence
from the camera and make adjustments to the incoming media or its metadata. Any adjustments
made to the master clips are applied as source adapter effects.
Import or AMA-link to your file-based media in the usual manner. After media has been
acquired and the master clips have been created in the bin, you will be able to view and adjust the
media properties from a single Source Settings view.
The Source Settings dialog box detects the properties of the source media based on the metadata
that was found with these files. It allows you to quickly see the properties of the input files and
make changes if necessary.You can also view any framing applied on the image, as well as a
histogram showing the range of colors in the image.
If there is an AMA plug-in installed on your system for this media format, then an additional
AMA Source Settings tab will be available. Any settings on this tab will be applied before the
Color Encoding tab.
The Source Settings dialog box allows you to:
•
set the aspect ratio of the media
•
set the color space of the media
•
apply specific color transformations to the source media
•
choose the way you want to format the source into the current project frame size
•
select a smaller area of the overall image size to be displayed in the project frame
45
n
Some of these settings can be set directly in the bin columns.
Imported clips will already be resized to the project size and aspect ratio. However, it is still
possible to reframe or reformat the imported clip.
A Spatial Adapter effect is applied either when the clip is reframed, or reformatted to fit within
the project frame size. A Color Adapter effect is applied when a color transformation applied to
the clip. When the clip is placed on the timeline, any of these changes will be indicated as
adapter effects and will display as green dots on the clip. These effects can be modified with the
Effect Editor and rendered to allow for smooth playback and output.
46
For various reasons, it is common practice to shoot at a higher resolution than the final output
intentions. Framing charts, that define the dimensions of the final output, have been developed
for camera viewfinders so that the camera people can keep the proper perspective in view while
filming.
The framing chart used during the onset shoot is usually filmed as the first frame of the shot.
Some digital cameras even include these framing parameters in the file metadata that is passed
through to the Avid editing application. During post production, these framing parameters serve
as guidelines for the editing process, and this intended action area can be automatically framed to
the project frame size.
During the onset shoot, certain objects (such as lights, flags and other on-set equipment) may
inadvertently be recorded within the main viewing area. As part of the dailies process, these
objects may be trimmed out from the region of the image that is presented to editorial. If not,
then the post editor is required to crop out and reframe the image as necessary.
If the framing parameters were included in the media metadata, then the Framing view will
reflect the same area used during the onset shoot. If necessary, the editor can adjust these
dimensions manually.
Clips are reframed by applying a spatial adapter on the clip in the bin. The Source Settings dialog
has a FrameFlex tab where the dimensions of the framing box can be adjusted. The area within
the framing box is what will finally be fit into the project frame when the clip is used in a
sequence.
The reformatting settings for each clip are saved in the bin. When the clip is dropped on the
timeline, a green dot appears on the clip to indicate that a source adapter effect has been applied.
The application accesses the original image and applies the formatting during playback. Effects
are applied and rendered based on these settings.
n
For clips that have already been used in a sequence, the sequence can be refreshed to frame to
the new dimensions.
To set the framing dimensions:
1. Select one or more clips in the bin, right-click and choose Source Settings.
2. If the image viewers are not displayed in the Source Settings dialog, click the Show Viewers
checkbox.
3. Select the FrameFlex tab.
The framing options display with the framing box outlining the full image.
47
n
If framing parameters were passed from a camera vendor that is an Avid partner, then the
framing view used on set may be displayed in the viewer.
4. In the FrameFlex box, adjust the Framing parameters to set the new dimensions of the
framing box.
Option
Description
Same size as project’s raster dimensions
Sets the framing box at a 1:1 ratio with the project
frame size.
Frame aspect ratio
Changes the size of the framing box according to
the selected aspect ratio.
X
Reposition the framing box along either the X or
Y axes.
Y
Size
Resize the framing box proportionally.
Color
Set color of framing box outline in the viewer.
Reset
Resets the framing to the original size.
Reformat
Stretch
Stretches the image (disproportionally, if
necessary) to fill the project frame.
Pillarbox/Letterbox
Scales the image proportionally until either the
height or the width extends to the project frame.
Black bands will appear on the sides (Pillarbox),
or on the top and bottom (Letterbox) in order to
pad the empty areas of the frame.
Centre Crop
Scales the image proportionally to fill the project
frame. Areas that fall outside of the project frame
will be cropped.
Centre, Keep Size
Centers the image in the viewer without
modifying its original size. Areas that fall outside
of the project frame will be cropped.
Revert
Reverses any changes you made since the last
time the Apply button was clicked.
Apply
Applies all selections that you made so that you
can see the changes in the viewers.
48
5. The bottom viewer displays the framed area as it would appear within the actual project
frame. Refer to “Reformatting the Media to fit the Project Frame Size” on page 52 for more
details on the choices that you have.
6. Click Apply.
The new framing of the image will be applied when you drop the clip in the Source viewer
or on the timeline. A green dot on the clip in the timeline indicates that spatial changes (in
the form of a spatial adapter effect) have been applied to this clip.
7. If you had placed your clip on the timeline before doing the reframing, you can refresh your
timeline with the changes—see “Refreshing Clips to Use Current Clip Attributes” in the
Help. (Choose Refresh Sequence > Aspect Ratio and Reformatting Options.)
8. If you want to make further changes to the framing box from the timeline, open the spatial
adapter effect for this clip—see also “Panning a Shot” on page 50.
49
Panning a Shot
If you want to pan and scan over a segment of video, you need to apply a FrameFlex source
adapter to the clip in the bin. When the clip is placed on the timeline, a green dot will appear on
it and you can open the Effect Editor to change the framing box and animate it for the necessary
duration—see “Reframing your Media” on page 47.
If the clip was already part of the sequence before you applied the FrameFlex source adapter,
then you will need to refresh the sequence so that inherits the newly-set attributes from the clip in
the bin—see “Refreshing Clips to Use Current Clip Attributes” in the Help. (Choose Refresh
Sequence > Aspect Ratio and Reformatting Options.)
If the clip still references the source media, you will see all the pixels in the image. You simply
have to set the framing box over the area that is required in the focus and make sure that the box
shifts to a new position in subsequent frames in order to follow the important action. These
positions should be keyframed to create the effect of a "pan" shot.
To animate the framing parameters:
1. Select the clip on the timeline and click the Effect Mode button.
The Effect Editor displays.
2. Select and expand the FrameFlex effect.
The Record viewer becomes your workspace to adjust the framing parameters.
50
3. Click in the position bar below the Effect Editor at the point in the effect where you want to
add the keyframe.
The record viewer displays the frame and the framing box.
4. Adjust the size and/or position of the framing box.
For example, drag the handles on the corners of the image to resize it, or click and drag to
move the entire box. The Avid editing application automatically creates a new keyframe on
this frame.
5. Move the position bar to another point where you want to add a keyframe and repeat the
above step.
6. Click the play button to see the results of your animation.
n
If you need to disable this effect, click the Layout button. When the button is gray, the effect is
bypassed.
If you need to reset any keyframe to the original framing dimensions, move the position bar to the
respective keyframe, then press ALT and click the Layout button.
51
In the Source Settings dialog box, you have the option to reformat the entire image or just the
area within the framing box to the current project format.
n
The reformat image option is also available in the Effect Editor if you need to apply a change to
a clip on the timeline.
To reformat the image to the project frame size:
1. In either the bin or on the timeline, select the clip that you want to change, right-click and
choose Source Settings.
The Source Settings dialog box displays with the viewer showing the first frame of the clip
with the current framing dimensions.
2. Select the FrameFlex tab.
3. Select the appropriate Reformat option.
When using media of a different format from the project format, you can specify how the
media will be converted in the application by using one of the modes below:
Reformat Options
Descriptions
Stretch
Stretches the image (disproportionally, if necessary) to
fill the project frame.
Pillarbox/Letterbox
Scales the image proportionally until either the height or
the width extends to the project frame. Black bands will
appear on the sides (Pillarbox), or on the top and bottom
(Letterbox) in order to pad the empty areas of the frame.
Centre, Keep Size
Centers the image in the viewer without modifying its
original size. Areas that fall outside of the project frame
will be cropped.
Centre Crop
Scales the image proportionally to fill the project frame.
Areas that fall outside of the project frame will be
cropped.
The results of your changes will be displayed in the bottom viewer.
52
SOURCE MEDIA
PROJECT FRAME SIZE
16:9
4:3
CENTRE, KEEP SIZE
STRETCH
CENTRE CROP
LETTERBOX/PILLARBOX
Areas of the image that fall outside of the project frame size, will be cropped. On the other
hand, if the image is smaller than the project frame size, it will be padded with black.
Once a clip is placed on the timeline, it will reformat to the project frame size according to
the media conversion settings that you have chosen. Note that any reformatting options are
processed on the fly during playback and do not affect the source clip.
4. Click Apply.
The new formatting of the image will be applied when you drop the clip in the Source
viewer or on the timeline.
53
Example of Reframing and Reformatting
The following example shows a 2K image with a framing box set around the desired area of the
image. The application first crops out the unwanted area and then fits the image within the
project frame size (using the letterbox/pillarbox option selected by the editor).
Defining the framing box
Original 2K image
Project frame size (HD)
Framing box
Reframing and reformatting applied
Project frame size (HD)
Clip reformatted
and padded to fit
project frame size
54
The application preserves all color metadata from the acquisition process. This includes color
information embedded in the raw footage, as well as in accompanying conversion tables (LUTs,
CDLs) that can be associated along with the media to ensure that a consistent color is applied to
all related footage. This information is saved with the clip in the bin.
For other common digital cameras, Avid provides a standard set of camera conversion tables that
will map the camera color values to the color space used in Media Composer.
n
Camera vendors that have partnered with Avid also supply AMA plug-ins for specific camera
formats. Refer to “Using AMA Plug-Ins” on page 100 for more details on using these formats in
Media Composer.
A look-up table (LUT) is a file that contains a conversion table used to map an input color value
to an output color value. LUTs are used for the following reasons:
•
To ensure a standardized color output value across different devices such as computer
monitors, broadcast monitors, and film projectors.
•
To offer flexibility in editing and post-production when working with media from different
sources or shot with different cameras.
•
To convert logarithmic media files to linear format prior to editing and applying effects.
•
For creative or artistic purposes to obtain a particular “look and feel” to a scene.
•
To determine how the color data of the final image will be displayed.
Media Composer automatically detects color management attributes encoded in the camera
format. The camera manufacturers need to structure their metadata according to the Avid
requirements to allow for these values to be passed on to the editing application. Refer to the web
sites of your camera manufacturers to find out if their file formats include the necessary color
management attributes.
For more information on other ways that custom transformations that can be applied to your
media, see “Using Color Decision Lists (CDLs)” on page 60.
To change the color encoding of the source media:
1. In the bin, select one or more clips that you want to change, right-click and choose Source
Settings.
n
Certain file formats that have an AMA plug-in installed on your system will also reveal an AMA
Source Settings tab. In the case of RED media, for example, the color space adjustments should
be made on this tab.
2. Select the Color Encoding tab.
55
with the current color encoding.
56
Color Encoding Parameters
Descriptions
Source color space
For some known camera formats, the application reads the
color space metadata within the source media, and displays
the most appropriate color space. If you know the color
space of the media you can select it here and this
information will remain with the clip for other downstream
processes.
You may leave it as Unknown if you do not know the color
space of the media. In this case, the application will leave
the colors as they are.
If you click the Auto button, the application will do the
necessary color mapping to go from the specified color
space to the project’s color space (Rec709). This color
transformation will take place when the clip is used in a
sequence.
[list of color transformations]
To apply an additional color transformation to the media,
select an option from the drop down list and click the Add
button. You can add more than one color transformation to
your media.
Delete
Select a transformation from the list of applied
transformations, and click Delete to remove it.
Auto
Clicking this button will apply the assigned (detected)
Source color space to the media.
Bypass all color transformations
Ignore all color encoding settings. This may be required if
you need to send a particular segment for special effects
processing without any transformations that you have
applied during the editing process.
Revert
Reverses any changes you made since the last time the
Apply button was clicked.
Apply or Apply All
Applies the settings to all clips that you selected in the bin.
Color changes will be visible in the viewer.
3. If you know what color transformation you want to apply, select it from the Color
Transformation list, and click the + button.
The transformation is added to the list and applied to the image in the viewer.
4. You can add more than one transformation if necessary, and change the order in which they
are applied by selecting and dragging the transformation up or down in the list.
57
Transformations are applied cumulatively starting from top to bottom.
5. Click OK to close the dialog box.
When clips are viewed in the Source monitor or dropped on the timeline, any associated look
files (LUTs, CDLs, etc.) are also considered when the color transformation is applied. This
will be reflected when the clips are played back. You can also choose to apply these changes
to any new media is generated through transcode, consolidate or mixdown.
If the clip was already part of the sequence before you applied the color adapter, then you
will need to refresh the sequence so that inherits the newly-set attributes from the clip in the
bin—see “Refreshing Clips to Use Current Clip Attributes” in the Help. (Choose Refresh
Sequence > Color Adapters.)
Applying External LUTs to your Media
Avid provides a standard set of industry color transformations that you can apply as source
settings directly to the master clips. Avid also provides the ability to load custom look-up tables
that have been provided by the camera operator, the director of photography, the film scanning
facility, or the colorist during the dailies processing. A LUT is essentially a file that contains a
conversion table used to map an input color value to an output color value.
The application supports two different types of LUT formats:
•
1D LUT: A 1-dimensional lookup table maps each input channel value to an output channel
value on a per-channel basis (independently for each channel R, G, and B).
•
3D LUT: A 3-dimensional lookup table maps any given color value (R,G,B) to an output
color value (R,G,B). Mistika, LUTher, Kodak KDM, and IRIDAS formats are examples of
3D LUTs that are supported.
A list of supported products or file extensions have been listed below. Other product LUTs may
be supported but the first line entry of the file must appear as listed in the third column.
Product or
File Extension
Supported first line entry
Avid DS
.lut
AVID DS LUT
Autodesk
LUT: followed by the number of channels and entries
IRIDAS 1D
.itx
LUT_1D_SIZE
IRIDAS 3D
.cube
LUT_3D_SIZE
Kodak KDM
.3dl
# IDENTIFICATION: 3DMODEL-3DLUT
LUTher
.txt
#channels: c3
Mistika 3D
.itx
LUT_3D_SIZE
58
Product or
File Extension
Supported first line entry
Nucoda
.lut
NUCODA_3D_CUBE 2
The LUT has to be installed before it can be applied to the media.
After the LUT is installed, the Source Settings dialog box will display it as an option in the Color
Transformations list. This LUT is available to all sequences within the project.
Any changes made to these color files will be reflected in the viewer within this dialog box.
Changes made in the source settings will be reflected when clips are dropped on the timeline. For
clips already on the timeline prior to the changes, you will have to refresh the sequence.
(Right-click the sequence and choose Refresh Sequence > Color Adapters).
n
Changing the settings for a master clip will also propogate these changes to subclips that were
created prior to the changes. Similarly, any changes made to the subclips will be applied to the
parent master clip.
To install an external LUT:
1. From the Settings tab, select and open the Color Management Settings.
2. Click Install LUT.
3. Browse for your file, select it and click Open to install it.
The LUT is now available in the list of color transformation in the Source settings. This LUT
will be part of the project. All sequences in the current project will be able to access that
LUT.
To apply an external LUT:
1. On the timeline, or in the bin, select the clip that you want to change, right-click and choose
Source Settings.
2. Select the Color Encoding tab.
with the current color encoding.
3. Click the drop-down menu below the list of Color transformations.
The installed LUT(s) will be listed at the bottom, prefixed with the word External.
4. You can apply more than one LUT to the media and change the order in which they are
applied.
To delete an external LUT:
t
External LUTs are stored with the project. These LUTs can be deleted so that they no longer
appear in the drop-down menu below the list of Color transformations.
59
Navigate to the project folder (Documents > Avid Project > Project name > LUTs) and
delete the appropriate LUT file.
Using Color Decision Lists (CDLs)
A CDL (color decision list) is a simple color transformation format specified by the American
Society of Cinematographers (ASC). It is a way to communicate color renditions between
equipment and software from different manufacturers, using four critical parameters—slope,
offset, power and saturation.
CDLs are used for the following reasons:
•
to convey the intent of the Director of Photography (decisions made on-set)
•
transferring primary color grading values from dailies or media preparation stations to the
offline editing stations
•
as a starting point for finishing stations to perform the final grading
Primary color grading can be performed as one of the pre-post functions on dailies systems and
then passed on to the offline editing system. If the editing station uses MXF media, these colors
are already applied. However, if the editor decides to use the original media, then he or she may
want to read these values via the CDL and apply them to the master clips.
These CDL values are imported via an EDL or ALE (in the ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT
parameters). They are stored with the clip metadata and can be exposed in the bin columns.
When you export your sequence/segment as an AAF/ALE/EDL, these values are included and
can be sent along to the effects specialist along with the associated media.
To enable the reading of CDL parameters:
1. Select the Settings tab.
2. Double-click Color Management from the list.
3. Select Use CDL values from ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT bin columns when available.
Any values attached to the clip from the EDL/ALE will be applied as a color transformation
and can be seen in the Source Settings for the clip.
4. Any clips with CDLs to which you link will automatically apply the CDL values. For clips
that were already linked, you will need to open the Source Settings dialog and click the Auto
button on the Color Encoding tab. Alternatively, you can select the CDL option from the
Color Transformation list.
n
CDL values can be copied from one ASC_SOP bin column of a clip and applied to another. The
changes will not be reflected on the receiving clip until you open the Source Settings dialog and
click the Auto button.
60
AMA offers the advantage of allowing you to transcode material to a lower resolution at any
stage of the process. Most production facilities transcode all their footage up front in order get
the best performance when previewing the footage for the editorial. Transcoding to DNxHD 36
is an acceptable quality for editing your sequences. However, if you plan on doing finishing work
to your sequence, it's advisable to transcode your final sequence to DNxHD 145, DNxHD 220,
or DNxHD 220x.
Media Composer provides configurable profiles (Dynamic Media Folders) to automate the
transcoding of media from external drives. Furthermore, this can all be done in the background
while building your sequence with the AMA-linked clips. Once the process is complete, you can
link your sequence to the transcoded clips.
Refer to the appropriate topic below depending on whether you want to transcode all your
footage, or if you prefer to create your sequence first and then transcode only the clips used in
the sequence to low-res proxies.
Transcoding a Bin
The best way to transcode a bin is by using an automated background process set up via a
Dynamic Media Folder. This procedure assumes that you have already created a bin with
AMA-linked clips as recommended by “Considerations when Editing with File-Based Media”
on page 25.
To transcode a bin using a DMF:
1. Open the bin containing the clips that you need to transcode.
2. Select Tools > Dynamic Media Folders.
3. Create a DMF that points to the folder where the media for these clips resides—see .
This DMF may have already been created for another process. If so, you simply have to
create a new profile for the transcode and attach it to the DMF as described below.
4. Click Profile Editor and create a profile for the transcode—see .
For the Consolidate/Transcode options, select:
-
Create new clips
-
Apply color transformation (if color space adjustments were made on the AMA-linked
clips and you want them to be applied when the new media is generated)
-
Apply reformatting option (if the AMA-linked clip was reframed/reformatted and you
want it to be reflected when the new media is generated)
61
Color and reframing options do not have to be “baked in” to the media if you want the
flexibility to make further transformations to the clips within the sequence. Any changes
made to the proxies will be then be reflected when you relink to the source files.
5. Save the profile and name it accordingly.
6. Select the DMF and assign this newly created profile to it.
You will be prompted to start the process. Click Yes to proceed.
While the process is running, you will see an illuminated indicator in the Timeline. If you
want to monitor this process, right-click on this indicator and choose Background Queue.
This will open a window where you can see the copy, transcode or consolidate actions listed
as processes in the queue. When an action has been completed on the folder where your
media resides, you will see a green icon under the Acquire column of the DMF window.
This means that new clips are available. Any clips that have been consolidated or transcoded
will display as *.new files.
7. Click the Acquire icon at any time to update your bins with the newly-transcoded clips.
Each time more clips are ready, the green icon will appear under the Acquire column in the
Dynamic Media Folders window. You can click on this icon to keep updating your bin.The
transcoded media is referenced by .new clips in your bin.
8. Move all the *.new clips to a new bin and rename the bin suitably. Separating the AMA and
transcoded clips into different bins will allow you to link back to the source AMA clips more
easily later in the editorial process.
9. Close the bin with the AMA-linked clips.
Continue this process to transcode all media in other storage folders to low-res proxies.
Transcoding a Sequence
Some production houses may prefer to create the sequences with the AMA-linked clips first and
then transcode only the clips used in the sequence to low-res proxies. This may be a more
efficient process if you have enough space on your high-bandwidth storage to place your source
camera files.
To transcode your sequence:
1. Right-click the sequence and select transcode.
In the Consolidate/Transcode dialog box, select:
-
Create new sequence
-
Create new clips
-
Include handles
62
Relinking to Source Media for Conform and Finishing
-
Apply color transformation (if color space adjustments were made on the AMA-linked
clips and you want them to be applied when the new media is generated)
-
Apply reformatting option (if the AMA-linked clip was reframed/reformatted and you
want it to be reflected when the new media is generated)
Color and reframing options do not have to be “baked in” to the media if you want the
flexibility to make further transformations to the clips within the sequence. Any changes
made to the proxies will be then be reflected when you relink to the source files.
When the sequence is transcoded, new media is created for each of the clips in the sequence.
This media is referenced by .new clips that will appear in your bin. Similarly, a new
.transcoded sequence will also appear in your bin.
2. Move all the *.new clips to a new bin and rename the bin suitably. Separating the AMA and
transcoded clips into different bins will allow you to link back to the source AMA clips more
easily later in the editorial process.
3. Close the bins with the AMA-linked clips.
4. Load the transcoded sequence onto the timeline for the fine-tune editing.
Once you start editing with the low-res proxies, any color adjustments you make to the
proxy clips on the timeline are not transferred back to the original AMA clips. Therefore,
apply source-side color adjustments directly to the proxy clips in the bin and then refresh the
sequence in order to propagate the adjustments to the sequence. These adjustments will then
be available when you link to the AMA clips. For procedures on how to refresh your
sequence, see “Refreshing Sequences to Use Current Clip Attributes” in the Help.
For example, there may be a case where you need to reframe a certain segment of your
sequence or do a pan and scan in order to follow the important action. Since the clips are
already used within the sequence, you need to add the framing adapter on the proxy clips in
the bin. You must then make sure to refresh your sequence in order to propagate the framing
parameters to the sequence. This will allow you to do further adjustments on the framing
box directly on the timeline in order to change it’s size and/or position from one frame to the
next.
5. After the editing process is complete, you may want to switch back to the high-resolution
sources before outputting your final sequence—see “Relinking to Source Media for
Conform and Finishing” on page 63.
Relinking to Source Media for Conform and
Finishing
If you built your sequence with AMA-linked clips and switched to lower-resolution clips for the
editorial, you will need to switch back to the high-resolution sources if you want to output your
final sequence at a better resolution.
63
n
The relink operation can be done automatically if you are in an Interplay environment. Refer to
”Using MultiRez and Dynamic Relink” in the online help.
To relink to the original media:
1. Close the bin(s) with the transcoded clips and open the bin(s) with the AMA-linked clips.
2. Select the edited sequence, press the Shift key and select all the AMA-linked master clips in
all the open bins.
n
You don’t need to know which clips were used in your sequence. By selecting all the AMA clips,
the application will automatically relink the transcoded clips on your timeline to their partnering
AMA master clips.
3. Right-click on the edited sequence and select Relink from the menu.
4. In the Relink dialog box, choose:
-
Relink selected items to: Selected items in ALL open bins
-
Create new sequence.
5. Set any other options as necessary and click OK to relink.
A new relinked sequence containing the AMA-linked clips will appear in the bin.
6. Load this relinked sequence onto the timeline for the conform.
At this point, you can continue the finishing process with the AMA-linked clips, or you can
transcode your sequence to an HD resolution that is suitable for output.
7. For the transcode, right-click the sequence and transcode to the online resolution including
handles. This will transcode only the required media and create a new sequence with links to
the newly transcoded clips. You can then load this transcoded sequence onto the timeline for
the final stages.
Your facility may have a pipeline which creates processed or aligned MXF files using a dailies
application. Avid recommends that the dailies system generate an AAF file of this media. The
AAF can be imported into the Avid to generate bins with master clips that point to the MXF
media. In the case of an AAF, the media will come online automatically.
n
If an AAF is not available, then you can use the Avid Media Tool to create clips from the MXF
media.
Keeping media from the same source (at all available resolutions) in the same folder, will also
ease the file maintenance and facilitate the reimport process in the event that a different
resolution of a clip is required.
64
Merging Additional Metadata for Clips
To link to MXF media via AAF:
1. Make sure that all your transcoded MXF files are located in the appropriate Avid MediaFiles
folder (drive letter:\Avid MediaFiles\MXF\).
2. Open the bin in which you want to create the master clips.
3. Right-click in the bin, and select Import (or simply drag and drop your clips into the bin).
4. Locate the AAF file that you want to import and click Open.
If you imported an AAF, all clips in the bin will automatically be linked to the corresponding
MXF media.
5. The master clips will appear in the bin.
To link to MXF media via the Media Tool:
1. Select Tools > Media tool.
2. Select the media drives where the MXF files are located.
3. Sort the clips by creation date and select the clips that you need.
4. Drag these clips into your bin.
5. The master clips will appear in the bin.
Merging Additional Metadata for Clips
You can import additional metadata for your media—such as information from a 3rd-party
application that processed the media—and merge it with existing master clips in a bin. This
metadata will be imported as long as it follows the Avid conventions for the bin column data.
To merge additional metadata into a bin:
1. Select the master clips for which you have additional metadata to merge.
2. Right-click on one of the clips, and select Import.
3. Locate the ALE file holding the metadata that you want to import, and click Open.
4. To select options for combining events on import, click Options to open the Import Settings
dialog box.
5. From the Shot Log tab, you must select Merge events with known master clips.
When this option is selected, your Avid editing application merges information in the shot
log onto selected master clips based on the matching tape name or source file name. This
must be an exact match and so should the START and END timecodes.
6. Click OK to close the Import Settings dialog box and return to the Select Files to Import
dialog box.
65
Rendering Effects
7. Select the source file from the list and click the Open button.
When your Avid editing application finishes importing the file, the clips (or new metadata
for the clips) will appear in the selected bin.
Rendering Effects
Any effects applied to clips on the timeline will use the project color space (Rec 709) when they
are processed for real-time playback. All effects-processing for playback is done on the fly, in
some cases, dropping frames or slowing down as necessary to display your color-corrected
output at high quality for evaluation purposes. Playback is not cached to RAM. You can choose
to invoke the Render option and cache the new media to disk storage in order to play your
sequence smoothly. Any precomputes rendered to the disk storage will also be generated using
the project color space with a maximum bit depth of 10-bit.
You can specify mask margins on the output frame to view a master with a different aspect ratio
than the project setting. This provides many useful features especially for those dealing with film
distribution (e.g. widescreen mode for DVD).
The project Format tab allows you to select from various aspect ratio presets. In the viewers, this
selected aspect ratio will mask out (with a gray or black background) any area of the image that
is not inside the specified rectangle. This is for viewing purposes only. For example, if you apply
a dissolve or an effect, the mask is not processed. Your viewer simply displays the masked area
as in the example below.
66
Project frame (HD)
Mask margins
At this time, the mask regions are not applied when the sequence is exported to file. For output to
tape, however, the mask margins can be applied if you enable the mask region in the output tool.
Scene cropped to mask margins
and filled with black
To set the mask margins for the project:
1. In the Project dialog box, select the Format tab.
2. Click the Mask Margins button.
The Target Settings dialog displays.
67
3. Select one of the mask presets or set the margins manually by selecting the appropriate
percentage of the image to be occluded.
To display the mask area in the viewers:
1. Right-click in the source or record viewer and select Target Mask.
2. Choose from one of the following options:
Option
Description
No Mask
Does not display masked region.
Gray Mask
Displays masked region with a translucent gray to allow
you to view the full image.
Black Mask
Blacks out the masked region to display the image as it
would appear when output.
The viewer updates accordingly.
To see the same results on an external monitor, you will need to open the Output Tool to set
the Target Mask option.
68
Source viewer showing full image with gray mask
Record viewer showing reformatted image with black mask
69
The media formats for which you can output media include the following—QuickTime (MOV,
AVI), Windows Media (WMV), MPEG, HDV, DV Stream, single-frame graphics (PNG, TIFF,
BMP, etc.).
Before you output your sequence, refer to “Preparing to Export a Sequence” in the Help for your
editing application.
To select the section for export:
1. Render any AMA-linked clips and effects in your sequence.
2. Identify the portion of the sequence that you want to export.
Option
Description
To export specific
tracks in a clip or
sequence:
Enable the tracks in the Track Selector panel, and disable all others.
Ensure that Use Enabled Tracks is selected in the Export Settings
dialog box.
To export a
Mark an IN point to export the marked frame from a bin or a monitor,
single-frame graphic: or move the position indicator to the frame you want to export.
Ensure that Use Marks is selected and that Sequential Files is
deselected in the Export Settings dialog box.
To export part of a
clip or sequence:
Mark IN and OUT points to export the marked range from a bin or a
monitor. If you mark an IN point and no OUT point, your Avid
editing application exports from the IN point to the end of the clip or
sequence.
Ensure that Use Marks is selected in the Export Settings dialog box.
To export the entire
clip or sequence:
n
Make sure the topmost track is monitored.
Ensure that Use Enabled Tracks and Use Marks are deselected in the
Export Settings dialog box.
For information on setting options in the Export Settings dialog box, see the Help.
3. Select the clip or sequence by doing one of the following:
t
Click the monitor that displays the clip or sequence you want to export.
t
Click the clip or sequence in a bin. Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) to
select multiple clips or sequences.
4. Do one of the following:
70
t
Select File > Export.
t
Right-click the clip or sequence, and then select Export.
The Export As dialog box opens with a default file name in the File name text box
(Windows) or the Save As text box (Macintosh), based on the file type.
5. Click the Export Setting menu, and select one of the predetermined settings.
This menu lists the possible formats in which you can export your selection. It also
determines the type of file(s) that will be exported. For example, if you select Sorenson
Squeeze, then a QuickTime reference file will be exported.
Here are the possible options when exporting to media files:
n
If none of these meet your needs, then select Untitled and click Options to create a customized
export setting.
Export Setting
Export Format
Avid 3D Audio
WAV
Avid Pro Tools LE (Mbox-Ref)
MOV
Fast-Export QuickTime NTSC
MOV
Fast-Export QuickTime PAL
MOV
Macintosh Image NTSC
TIF
Macintosh Image PAL
TIF
Make New - QuickTime Reference
MOV
Pro Tools QuickTime (ref)
MOV
QuickTime Reference
MOV
QuickTime Reference DV Codec
MOV
Send to QT Movie
MOV
Sorenson Squeeze
MOV
Sorenson Squeeze - Encode for DVD
MOV
Windows Image NTSC
BMP
Windows Image PAL
BMP
6. If you want to view or modify the current Export Setting, click Options.
71
The Export Settings dialog box opens.
The export settings for some formats can be complicated. In some cases, options in the
Export Settings dialog box open additional dialog boxes with further options. If you are
modifying the Export settings, consult “Common Export Settings” in the Help.
Close the Export Settings dialog box to return to the Export As dialog box.
7. Select the destination folder for the file.
8. Enter a Filename for the selection that will be exported.
The extension will depend on the Export Setting that you chose.
9. Click Save.
Your Avid editing application exports the file.
If you abort the Export while it is in progress, any files that were created, will be deleted.
If you intend to apply custom audio or video effects using another application (for sweetening,
color grading, effects and other finishing tasks), then you can export your sequence to a project
data file. Your Avid editing application allows you to export part, or all your sequence to an
AAF/AFE/EDL along with the associated video and audio media.
n
If your sequences use file formats that are not supportedlinked by other applications, you will
need to transcode the clips to MXF before the export. These MXF files are saved to the \Avid
MediaFiles\MXF folder on your system.
72
To select the section for export:
1. Identify the portion that you want to export.
Option
Description
To export specific
tracks in a clip or
sequence:
Enable the tracks in the Track Selector panel, and disable all others.
Ensure that Use Enabled Tracks is selected in the Export Settings
dialog box.
To export a
Mark an IN point to export the marked frame from a bin or a monitor,
single-frame graphic: or move the position indicator to the frame you want to export.
Ensure that Use Marks is selected and that Sequential Files is
deselected in the Export Settings dialog box.
To export part of a
clip or sequence:
Mark IN and OUT points to export the marked range from a bin or a
monitor. If you mark an IN point and no OUT point, your Avid
editing application exports from the IN point to the end of the clip or
sequence.
Ensure that Use Marks is selected in the Export Settings dialog box.
To export the entire
clip or sequence:
n
Make sure the topmost track is monitored.
Ensure that Use Enabled Tracks and Use Marks are deselected in the
Export Settings dialog box.
For information on setting options in the Export Settings dialog box, see the Help.
2. Select the clip or sequence by doing one of the following:
t
Click the monitor that displays the clip or sequence you want to export.
t
Click the clip or sequence in a bin. Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) to
select multiple clips or sequences.
t
Select File > Export.
t
Right-click the clip or sequence, and then select Export.
The Export As dialog box opens with a default file name in the File name text box
(Windows) or the Save As text box (Macintosh), based on the file type.
4. Click the Export Setting menu, and select one of the predetermined settings.
This menu lists the possible formats in which you can export your selection. It also
determines the type of file(s) that will be exported. For example, if you select Export to Pro
Tools, then an AAF metadata file will be exported.
Here are the possible options:
73
n
If none of these meet your needs, then select Untitled and click Options to create a customized
export setting.
Export Setting
Export Format
AudioVision
AAF
Avid 3D Video
AAF
Avid Pro Tools LE (002)
AAF
Avid Pro Tools LE (Mbox-AAF)
AAF
Avid DS
AFE
Consolidate Audio to Folder
AAF
Consolidate-Embed Audio Only
OMF
Consolidate-Link Audio and Video
AAF
Export to Pro Tools
AAF
Link to Audio Only
AAF
Link to Audio and Video
AAF
Link to Audio and Video Mixdown
AAF
5. If you want to view or modify the current Export Setting, click Options.
The Export Settings dialog box opens.
The export settings for some formats can be complicated. In some cases, options in the
Export Settings dialog box open additional dialog boxes with further options. If you are
modifying the Export settings, consult “Common Export Settings” in the Help.
Close the Export Settings dialog box to return to the Export As dialog box.
6. Select the destination folder for the exported file.
7. Enter a Filename for the selection that will be exported.
The extension will depend on the Export Setting that you chose.
8. Click Save.
Your Avid editing application exports the file.
If you abort the Export while it is in progress, any files that were created, will be deleted.
74
3 Acquisition of File-Based Media (AMA)
You can link, import, or export clips and sequences from many third-party volumes or third-party
files to and from the Avid editing system. You can manipulate and edit this media as you would
any other clip or sequence.
File-based media can be acquired from a third-party device (a camera, reader, or drive), from a
CD or DVD, from a folder on your system, or from a virtual volume (a server connected to your
system). To move the media into your Avid editing system, you have the option to use the AMA
method (Avid Media Access) which links the file based media directly into a bin through an
AMA plug-in, or you can use the non-AMA method which imports the media onto your system.
When you work with high-resolution media, the AMA method is the preferred and the faster
method.
AMA linking also allows for more metadata to be brought into the bin which gives you more
information about the media. For example, essence marks (or markers) associated with the clip
are automatically brought into your bin.
n
For information on importing and exporting media, see “Importing Files” on page 393 and
“Exporting Frames, Clips, or Sequences” on page 1145.
Before you begin working with AMA, make sure you have done the following:
•
Go to avid.com/ama to make sure you download the latest plug-in for your specific
third-party device.
•
If you are using an XDCAM, XDCAM EX or a P2 device, make sure you have the
appropriate drivers installed. See your third-party documentation for information on
installing drivers.
•
Connect the third-party device according to the documentation supplied with the device.
The Avid Media Access (AMA) Workflow
Avid Media Access (AMA) is a plug-in architecture that lets you link directly to clips on an
external third-party device. The device can be a camera, a card reader, an optical disk, a virtual
volume. AMA lets you be more productive by browsing and editing directly from the device or
volume.
There are two ways of browsing and editing this media:
•
Manually browse through the media on the third-party device, and link to selected media to
create master clips in your bin, or
•
Move all the media from the third-party device to an Avid dynamic media folder where you
have set up an automated process to create the master clips.
Typical media management functions (e.g. deletes, transcodes, consolidates) apply to all
AMA-linked clips in the same robust manner as they do for managed MXF Avid-compliant
OPAtom files. All media, whether captured, imported or linked by AMA, will be displayed in a
single window in the Media Tool.
AMA and dynamic media folders are the quickest method by which you can automate the
acquisition of footage, and significantly enhance your production workflow when working with
media in popular digital formats.
With the use of dynamic media folders, you can organize your files and assign automated actions
to a “watched” folder system. These actions run in the background, allowing you to keep
working while files are being ingested into the application. The actions include copy, consolidate
and transcode—see “Creating Dynamic Media Folders” on page 82.
Before you begin editing, set up media service profiles to run automated media acquisition
actions on the specific drives/folders where the original media is located. Any files placed in
these folders will be processed and managed in the background.
The illustration below shows how you can automate the acquisition of file-based media in the
background so that you can continue editing your sequence without interruption.
76
Avid Media Composer
External
card reader
Set up automated
processes to move
files to a local or
shared folder
Background Process
1
Files moved
to local or
shared folder
Dynamic
Media folder
(native formats)
Master clips
created
2
4
Request bin update,
and the clips point to
source files that have
been copied to the
AMA media folders
3
Avid Media
Files folder
(MXF OP Atom
formats)
Media consolidated
and/or transcoded
New master clips created
for transcoded/consolicated media
5
Perform manual
relink of clips to
transcoded media
1. You can begin the editorial by linking directly to the media on an external device. In the
meantime, the pre-configured Dynamic Media Folder (DMF) profiles will automatically
copy the files from the external device to an AMA media folder of your choice on a local or
shared storage. These folders will be managed and indexed by the application.
2. Master clips will be created for all the copied files and added to a 'staging' area so as not to
cause interruptions each time a new file is acquired. Any related audio and video files will be
auto-synced. Similarly, any related clips coming from multiple cameras will be
auto-grouped.
3. Depending on how your dynamic media folders were configured, some specific file formats
will be consolidated and/or transcoded to MXF proxy media. This media will be placed in
the Avid MediaFiles folder and separate master clips (*.new) will be created in the bin for
this media.
77
4. When files are ready to be pulled into a bin, you will be notified by a green light to the right
of the audio meters in the timeline. Through the Dynamic Media Folders dialog, you can
request a bin update which will pull the clips into a bin.
Any AMA-linked clips already on the timeline will automatically point to the new location
of the media. Similarly, if any files were transcoded/consolidated, and you selected the
“relink” option in the DMF dialog, the master clips will automatically point to the new
media files.
5. If you want to work with transcoded media, on the other hand, you need to manually relink
your sequence to the new master clips in the bin.
n
In an Interplay environment, the relink can be done automatically. See “Enabling Dynamic
Relink” in the online help.
Considerations and Limitations for AMA
Footage from the Sony XAVC and ARRI ALEXA cameras can be recorded directly to MXF.
Since Avid will have native HD codecs for these MXF formats, editors can link to or import this
media in Media Composer. Working with the MXF media provides better performance for
playback and rendering.
Other high resolution raw file formats that are not supported by Media Composer can be
transcoded to MXF by Avid MetaFuze or other third-party applications.
The following limitations apply:
•
When the AMA setting is activated, the non-AMA method does not appear in the File menu.
Deactivate the AMA setting to display the File > Import P2 (and Import XDCAM Proxy)
option. The AMA setting is on by default.
•
Windows UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths are supported with AMA media. You
can move your AMA bins from a Windows system to a Macintosh system and from a
Macintosh system to a Windows system. The media files need to reside in the same shared
location when you move the bins to and from different operating systems.
•
Do not AMA link to a volume or file if the file path name has an illegal character. AMA
clips display offline if the file path name you are linking to contains illegal characters,
including < > : “ / | ? *. for Windows and : for Macintosh.
•
You can create stereo clips from AMA-linked media. Refer to Avid Stereoscopic 3D Editing
Workflow Guide.
•
Interplay and Interplay Sphere users can use the dynamic relink capability to view the best
available media for AMA-linked clips. Refer to “Using Dynamic Relink with Interplay
Sphere Editing Systems” on page 49 or the Avid Interplay Sphere Remote News Editing
Workflow Guide.
78
Viewing Installed AMA Plug-ins
•
When you render an audio effect on an AMA media clip, all audio media files are written as
PCM (MXF), regardless of what you set for the audio file format.
•
Avid does not support MultiCamera editing with AMA clips.
•
You should not mix workflows. Either use the AMA method or use the traditional
import/batch import method.
Viewing Installed AMA Plug-ins
Once you download and install a third-party plug-in from avid.com/ama, you can enter a console
command to view a list and the version number of the plug-ins installed on your system.
To display the list of installed AMA plugins:
1. Select Tools > Console.
2. In the command entry text box, type: AMA_ListPlugins
3. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
AMA_ListPlugins displays a list of the plugins installed on your system.
Selecting the AMA Settings
You can set options in the AMA Settings dialog box to turn AMA on or off (on by default), to
automatically mount your volumes, to customize your bin, and to set audio channel linking
options.
To set up AMA:
1. In the Project window, click the Settings tab.
2. Double-click AMA.
The AMA Settings dialog box appears.
79
Selecting the AMA Settings
3. Click the Volume Mounting tab.
4. If you want the system to automatically scan drives (volumes) every time, select the option
“When mounting previously mounted volumes, do not check for modifications to the
volume.” This option is off by default.
5. If you remount a volume, deselect the option “When mounting previously mounted volumes,
do not check for modifications to the volume,” and the system checks the modification date
of the device or drive against the last time the clips were linked. If the date is the same, the
clips come back online. If the date is different, the system links the clips again, and links any
new clips added to the volume. This option is off by default.
n
If you restart your Avid editing application, the system automatically rescans the drives
regardless of the options you’ve selected.
6. To customize your bin, click the Bins tab.
By default, the system links your clips into a new bin using the same name as your project
name. If you want to change the bin name or want to use an already existing bin, you can
make these changes in the Bins tab.
For more information on Bins options, see “AMA Settings: Bins Tab” on page 46.
n
Depending on your AMA Settings, every time you insert a card into a reader , the system creates
a new bin whether the same card or device has been previously inserted or not.
7. To map source audio channels to multichannel or mono tracks in your clips, click the Link
Options tab, and then click Edit.
80
Manually Copying File-Based Media to a FireWire or Network Drive
The Set Multichannel Audio dialog box opens. For information on setting multichannel
audio options, see “Using XDCAM Multiple Resolution Clips with AMA” on page 102.
8. Click OK.
Manually Copying File-Based Media to a FireWire or
Network Drive
After you’ve connected your camera or other portable storage to the editing system, you can
copy the media to a FireWire drive or a network drive and then eject the camera or disk.
Alternatively, you can use Dynamic Media Folders (DMF) and profiles to carry out this copy
function in the background—see “Creating Dynamic Media Folders” on page 82.
n
You can work with media on a card/disk or work with media on another drive, but you cannot
work with media that is stored in both places simultaneously. To avoid the problem, eject the
card or disk after you copy the media files to the other drive.
To manually copy the card or disk media to another drive:
1. On the local or shared system drive, set up a folder for each card or disk you want to copy.
Follow the recommendations outlined in “Organizing your File-Based Media” on page 28.
2. Give each folder a unique name that identifies the card or disk.
The name does not have to be the same as the actual card or disk name.
3. Navigate to the actual card or disk and select the folder with the media.
t
Copy and paste the contents of the card or disk media folder to the system folder.
t
Click the card or disk folder and drag it to the system folder.
5. Eject the card or disk.
Dragging and Dropping File-based Media Directly to
a Bin
You can drag and drop file-based media directly to a bin.
To drag and drop files directly into a bin:
1. Navigate to the folder that contains the file based media.
2. Select the files you want to drag to the bin.
81
Creating Dynamic Media Folders
3. Alt + drag (Windows) or Option + drag (Macintosh) the files to the bin.
The files appear in the bin as AMA linked files. These are also managed files and appear in
the Media Tool.
Dynamic Media Folders (DMFs) are user-created folders that allow you to work more efficiently
with file-based media. DMFs allow you to manage and process media even when the editing
application is not running. For example, you can create a DMF where the media from a digital
camera or removable drive can be moved off the camera and placed in the DMF, allowing the
production team to quickly take the device back out to the field. A profile associated with that
DMF can be setup to have these files AMA-link into a particular bin.
n
AMA media is now managed. Therefore the AMA media will now appear in the Media Tool and
can be checked into Interplay.
You can also create DMFs that are set up to perform time consuming tasks such as copying,
transcoding or consolidating. You can create a DMF folder that copies all files placed in the
DMF to a specified location. You can also set up a DMF to transcode or consolidate any file that
is placed in the folder to a specified resolution. These processes occur in the background.
The basic workflow for using DMFs is the following.
•
In the Dynamic Media Folders window, create a DMF folder. This folder can reside locally
or on shared storage.
•
Create a new profile or assign an existing profile to the DMF folder. This profile is where
you specify the actions you want performed on any files that get added to the DMF folder.
•
An indicator on the Timeline will let you know when files have been added to a DMF folder.
Access the DMF window and choose to place the files from the DMF into the appropriate
bin.
To create a Dynamic Media Folder:
1. Select Tools > Dynamic Media Folders.
The Dynamic Media Folders window opens.
82
2. Create a new folder by clicking the + icon in the Dynamic Media Folders window.
The Select Folder window opens.
3. Navigate to the folder on which you want to perform the action and click Choose.
A DMF is added to the list.
4. Click the Profile Editor button to create a profile that you want associated with the DMF.
The Profile Editor opens.
5. Click the Menu bars to open the default profile summary and default AMA Settings and
Actions.
83
6. Select AMA Settings options as described in the following table.
Setting
Option
Description
AMA Plugin
Link Using
Select which Plug-in you want
the editing application to use
when performing AMA links
for the files added to the
selected DMF folder. If you
are linking to Volumes, Avid
recommends you select the
Autodetect AMA Plug-in.
Bins
Use active bin
When this option is selected,
your Avid editing application
uses the currently active bin to
store clips linked using AMA.
84
Setting
Link
Option
Description
Create a new bin
When this option is selected,
your Avid editing application
creates a new bin to store clips
linked using AMA and
controls the bin name. This is
the default option.
Multichannel Audio
•
Default bin naming
convention: uses the
project name for the bin
(bin name followed by a
consecutive number).
•
Volume name: the name or
label of the volume (for
example D:).
•
Specify bin name: lets you
enter a new bin name.
Select this option if you want
to assign audio tracks to
specific channels in your
linked media, up to a
maximum of 16 audio
channels for the clips in your
bins. This allows you to
specify which source channels
are treated as mono or
multichannel audio tracks in
your project, rather than
having to modify the clips in
your bin after you link to the
AMA media.
Click Edit to open the Multiple
Mixes dialog box, which
allows you to map audio tracks
to channels.
Audio Start-Time Option (for
Broadcast Wave)
Select this option to set the
audio Project Rate for
Broadcast Wave files.
7. To add actions to be performed on files found in the DMF such as copy, transcode,
consolidate or check into Interplay, click the Actions + to add an action.
85
8. Click the Menu button on a row to access the desired copying, consolidating and/or
transcoding actions you want to be performed on the files. Choose from the following
options:
Action
Option
Description
Copy to Folder
Copy to:
Click the Set button to choose
the location where you want
the files copied to.
Auto Relink when complete
Files are automatically
relinked when the copy is
completed.
Checkin to Interplay
Checks in assets to Interplay.
When you select this option,
also select the “Auto Relink
when complete” option.
Consolidate
Skip media files already on the Select to bypass files if some
target drive
related media files are already
located on the target drive.
Relink selected clips to target
drive before skipping
Select to ensure that all
selected clips are linked to
media on the target drive.
Convert Audio Sample Rate
Select this option to convert
the sample rate to 32 kHz,
44.1kHz, or 48 kHz.
Convert Audio Bit Depth
the Bit Depth to 16 Bit or 24
Bit.
86
Action
Transcode
Option
Description
Convert Audio Format
Select either OMF (WAVE),
OMF(AIFF-C), or MXF
(PCM) audio format.
Video Drive
Audio Drive
Select the applicable drives.
Transcode Video Resolution
Select the applicable Project
type, Color Space, Raster and
Codec you want to transcode
to.
Apply Reformatting option
(compatibility mode)
Transcodes the media and
applies any framing and
reformatting options that have
been set on the master clips.
Apply color transformations
Transcodes the media with any
color transformations (color
space, LUTs, CDLs) that have
been applied to the master
clips.
If these options are not
selected, then the reformatting
options, framing, and color
transformations are not applied
when the media is transcoded.
The information however, is
still retained in the clip
metadata, and will be used
with the transcoded media
when the clip is dropped on the
Timeline.
Convert Audio Sample Rate
the sample rate to 32 kHz,
44.1kHz, or 48 kHz.
Convert Audio Bit Depth
the Bit Depth to 16 Bit or 24
Bit.
Convert Audio Format
Select either OMF (WAVE),
OMF(AIFF-C), or MXF
(PCM) audio format.
87
Action
Option
Description
Video Drive
Audio Drive
Select the applicable drives.
9. You can also reorder the actions by priority by dragging one above or below the other.
10. Click Save to save the Profile.
11. Name the Profile and click OK.
12. Assign the profile to the DMF by choosing the profile from the drop down list.
13. Select Enable in the Dynamic Media Folders window to make sure that any files added to the
Dynamic Media folder will have the actions set by the associated Profile.
Button
State
Description
Solid green dot
You can access the DMF folder to ingest the assets into
your bin.
Spinning with or without a
green center dot
This indicates that background processing is in progress.
Yellow
This indicates there is an error. Right-click the progress
indicator and select Generate Error Report in Console. The
progress icon will remain yellow until you generate an error
report.
Not spinning and no center dot. This indicates that no background processing is in progress
and there are no DMF assets to ingest.
When files are placed in a Dynamic Media Folder, you will see a progress indicator in the
Timeline. If the progress indicator includes a a solid green dot in the center, new DMF assets
are available. See table below for a description of the progress indicator status.
88
Linking Media with AMA
14. Right+click the progress indicator and select Dynamic Media Folders.
The Dynamic Media Folders window opens.
15. Click the green icon in the Acquire column.
The new assets will populate the editing application Bin according to the Bin setting you
chose in the Profile Editor. Any clips that have been consolidated or transcoded will also
populate the bin as .new files. If some clips are still being processed, they will populate the
bin as offline. When they are ready, the Acquire icon will redisplay next to the DMF.
You can monitor the background progress of these files by selecting Tools > Background
Queue.
n
You can a cancel job by clicking on the x next to the item in the queue. If you want to cancel all
jobs in progress, you can stop the Avid Background Services.
The editing application will automatically link clips on a volume when you connect to your
third-party device. You can also use the File > AMA Link option to manually link to a volume or
file.
89
AMA media is managed. AMA managed media means that the AMA media is tracked. The
AMA media is associated with .pmr and .mdb files. Therefore the AMA media will appear in the
Media Tool and can be checked into Interplay.
AMA linking lets you point to media on a device or point to the media directly on your system.
The media physically resides on your system or it can reside on an external device. The media
points to the most recent source. For example, if you link the clips to a virtual volume on your
desktop, the drive column displays the desktop as the location where the clips are linked to. If
you then insert a card into a reader with the same media, the clips point to the media on the card.
If you remove the card, the clips point to the media on the card and the clips appear offline. The
card being the most recent source. Once the card is reinserted, the clips in the bin appear online.
See also, “Using Virtual Volumes” on page 98 and “Virtual Volumes and AMA Bins” on
page 99.
n
For optimum viewing and playing, Avid recommends a single clip length should not exceed more
than 12 hours.
n
The decompose option from the Clip menu is not available with AMA. You do not need to
decompose clips when you use the AMA Link.
To automatically link clips from a third-party device:
1. Connect the drive, card reader or device to your computer as described in the third-party
device documentation.
The system scans the device and links the clips into the default bin and with the default
multichannel audio track formats (based on the AMA settings). A link icon appears next to
the clip.
To change the default bin, bin name, or audio track format, from the Project window
double-click AMA Settings and select options from the Bins and Link Options tabs. For
more information, see “AMA Settings” on page 46 and “Using XDCAM Multiple
Resolution Clips with AMA” on page 102.
To link clips from a virtual volume with AMA:
1. Select File > AMA Link.
The Open dialog box opens.
90
2. Navigate to the folder that contains your file-based media.
For P2, navigate one level above the Contents folder. For XDCAM disks, navigate to one
level above the Clip folder. For XDCAM EX, navigate to one level above the BPAV folder.
For RED, navigate to the root directory of the RED card. For GFCAM, navigate to the root
directory of the GFPAK. For QuickTime, navigate to the QuickTime folder that holds the
QuickTime files.
Depending if you are using an existing bin or creating a new bin, the Bin Selection dialog
box opens.
91
3. Select Bin Selection options.
Option
Description
Single Bin Based On Selected Folder Places all linked clips into one default bin.
Single Bin Named
Lets you create a new bin and type in a new bin name.
Places all linked clips into that bin.
Bin(s) Based on Current AMA
Setting
Places the clips in the bin(s) you set up in the AMA
Settings Bins tab.
Bin(s) Based on Subfolders
Places the clips in bin(s) based on their subfolders.
Top Bin Window
Places the clips in the active bin.
4. Click OK.
The clips appear in the bin or bins depending on the options you selected. A link icon
appears next to the clips.
To link clips from a file with AMA:
You can also right-click a bin and select AMA Link.
2. The Open dialog box opens.
3. Navigate to and select the files you want to link to. Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select
multiple files.
4. From the Files of Type menu either select Autodetect AMA Plug-in or select the plug-in
from the list. Audodetect will detect the appropriate plug-in from the list of installed
plug-ins.
92
Relinking to AMA-Linked QuickTime Files
5. Click Open.
The clips appear in the active bin with the default multichannel audio track formats (based
on the AMA settings). A link icon appears next to the clips.
If the system cannot link a file, an error message displays informing you to open the Console
window for more information about the file(s) in error.
If you move the clip from the original drive to another drive on your system, the clip displays
as offline in your bin.
n
If you move a source file from one location to another and then back to the original location, you
might need to refresh the bin to redisplay the clip. Close and reopen the bin to refresh the bin.
Relinking to AMA-Linked QuickTime Files
After you link Quicktime files into your sequence, you have the option to make changes (in a
third party applications, such as Adobe After Effects) to that file. If you change the filename or
change the location of the file, the best way to link that clip back into your sequence is through
the relink option. Relinking to an AMA file allows you to link to a different file. This process
only works if the targeted file is compatible with the old file, for example the file has the same
duration, edit rate or number of tracks.
This feature is helpful when you have a group of linked clips that were moved to a different
folder or drive. You can relink the clips to the new location. You can also use this feature to
toggle between different versions of a QuickTime movie, for example a low-resolution version of
the movie is myMovie_DV.mov and the high-resolution version of the movie is
myMovie_1to1.mov. You can relink to both of these versions, to see which clip works better in
your sequence.
At this time, Relink to AMA File(s) is only available with AMA QuickTime files.
To relink to AMA file(s):
1. Select the file(s) you want to relink by doing one of the following:
t
Click a single file
t
Shift+click to select multiple adjacent files
t
Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Macintosh) to select multiple nonadjacent
files
2. Right-click and select Relink to AMA File(s).
The Select file(s) to relink AMA clip dialog box opens asking you to locate the new file(s).
3. Locate the folder where the files exist.
4. Click OK.
93
Spanned Clips
The clips appear linked in the bin. If all the clips you wanted to relink to do not reside in the
selected folder, you will receive a dialog indicating how many files were not relinked. Open
the Console window to see the name of the file or files that were not relinked.
n
If the new file is not compatible with the clip in the bin (it does not have the same duration, edit
rate or number of tracks), the clip in the bin retains its original link.
Spanned Clips
Spanned clips are clips that extend from one card to another. Avid supports working with
spanned clips with some third party devices such as P2, AVCHD, Canon, and XDCAM EX.
The following illustration shows how clips can span multiple cards.
Example of spanned clips. The white rectangles represent P2 cards and the gray rectangles represent clips. The
first and third clips span multiple cards.
94
AMA Linking with Ancillary Data
When you work with spanned clips, consider the following:
•
If you remove a card that contains a spanned clip, for example Card 2 in the above example,
and you try to play Clip 1, it plays until it reaches the portion of the clip that resides on
Card 2. Media Offline appears until you reach the media on Card 3. Avid recommends that
you do not place another card in the removed card’s place unless you remove all the cards
that contain the spanned clip (Cards 1 and 3 in this example).
•
You can mix cards that contain spanned and unspanned master clips. However, if you eject a
card which contains a chunk of a spanned clip and insert another card, the master clips in the
newly inserted card are not visible in the Media Tool but the media files are visible. To work
around this, remove all the cards which contain chunks of the spanned clip and choose
File > Unmount followed by File > Mount All (non-AMA method). All the master clips are
visible.
•
P2 and XDCAM EX spanned media covers multiple drives, but the bin displays only one
drive letter. The drive letter in the bin might be any of the drives, but is usually the highest
lettered drive where the media exists.
•
If necessary, copy all spanned clips to another drive to ensure a clip’s integrity before you
swap out the cards.
AMA Linking with Ancillary Data
You can AMA link to an XDCAM or an MXF (SMPTE 436M) clip with ancillary data, the
ancillary data appears in your bin. You can link to the ancillary data clip without an Avid
input/output hardware, however, in order to view the ancillary data in a monitor, an Avid Nitris
DX or Avid Mojo DX device is required.
For information about ancillary data and data tracks, see “Preserving HD Closed Captioning and
Ancillary Data” on page 1234 and “Data Track Method” on page 1235.
AMA Linking with Multichannel Audio
You can use the AMA Settings dialog box to define the audio track formats for the audio
channels in your linked media, up to a maximum of 16 audio channels for the clips in your bins.
This allows you to specify which source channels are treated as mono or multichannel audio
tracks in your project, rather than having to modify the clips in your bin after you link to the
AMA media.
The mappings affect all media clips created when you link to your source media. If you want to
use different mixes for different master clips or different projects, create a custom AMA Settings
template for each separate type of mix and then create your linked master clips.
95
Each stereo track requires two channels, but you can mix mono and stereo input channels for
your linking operation as long as you do not exceed the maximum of 16 audio channels for each
master clip.
To specify the multichannel audio mix for linked AMA clips:
For information about the AMA Settings, see “AMA Settings” on page 46.
3. Click the Link Options tab.
The Link Options tab lists any multichannel audio mappings in the current AMA Settings
template.
4. Click Edit.
The Set Multichannel Audio dialog box opens.
96
5. Click the format buttons to select one of the following audio track formats for each pair of
source channels:
Button
Track Format
Mono
Stereo
You must map source audio channels in mono or stereo pairs. For example, you cannot map
A1 to a mono track and A2 and A3 to a stereo track. Instead, map A1 and A2 to mono tracks,
and A3 and A4 to a stereo track. If the source media does not have an audio channel on A2,
the Avid editing application ignores the channel.
6. Click OK to close the Set Multichannel Audio dialog box, and then click OK to close the
AMA Settings dialog box.
The Track Formats column in the bin Text view displays the format for all multichannel
audio tracks in a master clip.
To save a custom map of linked audio channels as a settings template:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
The Settings list appears.
2. Click AMA.
3. Select Edit > Duplicate.
A duplicate setting appears in the Settings list.
4. Name the setting by doing the following:
a.
Click the custom name column.
b.
Type a name.
97
The AMA Plug-in Log File
c.
n
Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
The custom name column is the center column in the Project window. When you move the pointer
over the custom name column, the pointer changes from a pointing finger to a text insertion bar.
You can select this new setting whenever you link clips with AMA.
The AMA Plug-in Log File
The Avid system creates an AMA plug-in log file when you link clips. The log file records errors
and information about the clips. If you experience any problems while you link clips or if you
receive an error message, check the AMA log file to get more information about the error (for
example: a corrupt file or a bad filename). You can view the log file from the following location
on your system:
•
(Windows) drive:\Program Files\Avid\Media Composer\Avid FatalError Reports. The name
of the log file is AMALoggerMM_DD_YY.log.
•
(Macintosh) Volume/Users/Shared/AvidMediaComposer/Avid FatalError Reports. The
name of the log file is AMALoggerMM_DD_YY.log.
Using Virtual Volumes
You can use a virtual volume to copy media from a card or disk. This lets you use the card or disk
again. A virtual volume can be a folder on your desktop or a folder located on a server. However,
the virtual volume folder should reside one level down from the root level in order for the system
to display it as a virtual volume. The following are examples of virtual volumes:
•
C:\Desktop\BPAV
•
Z:\P2\Card 1
•
Z:\GFPAK\
When linking to AMA volumes, the system looks into folders up to two levels deeper. This is
helpful when linking to AMA volumes that contain left and right stereoscopic files/folders.
With the AMA method, all drives and virtual volumes associated with your bin mount
automatically. You cannot remove a volume while in AMA, however you can remove a virtual
volume.
To unmount a virtual volume:
1. Choose File > Unmount.
The Unmount dialog box opens.
98
Virtual Volumes and AMA Bins
2. Select the virtual volume you want to remove.
3. Click OK.
The system removes the virtual volume from your system and clips linked to this virtual
volume appear offline. When you restart your Avid editing application, the system scans the
system for virtual volumes and the clips appear online.
Virtual Volumes and AMA Bins
If you select Volume Name in the AMA Bin Settings tab, the system names the bin the same
name as the virtual volume drive name. If you continue to use the same virtual volume to link
other media through AMA, the system continues to place the linked media in the same bin. If
you want to create a new bin for different types of media you link through AMA, you can either
create a new virtual volume drive for each type of media (XDCAM, XDCAM EX, P2, GFCAM,
etc.) or you can create a new bin every time you link to new media on a virtual volume.
To create a new bin on the same virtual volume:
1. Before you link your media through AMA, click the Settings tab in the Project window.
3. Click the Bins tab.
4. Select “Create a new bin” and specify a new bin name.
5. Click OK.
The media appears in the newly created bin. Repeat these steps for each type of media.
Deleting Clips
You can delete master clips, but you cannot delete media files that reside on drives. Your Avid
editing application treats files as read-only devices.
You can delete master clips and media files the same way you delete other master clips and
media files. However, you might not be able to delete files that you moved rather than copied. If
you cannot delete master clips and media files, first unlock the clips as described in the second
procedure, and then delete them.
To delete files from cards/volumes:
1. Quit your Avid editing application.
2. On the desktop, navigate to the drive.
99
Using AMA Plug-Ins
3. Select the files you want to delete and press the Delete key.
To delete files on a local drive in your Avid editing application:
1. In a bin, select the clips you want to delete.
2. (Option) Right-click and select Unlock Bin Selection.
3. Press the Delete key.
The Delete dialog box opens.
4. Select Delete master clips and Delete associated media files.
5. Click OK.
You can also choose to AMA Link if you want to open the assets as Read-only in a classic
bin.
Using AMA Plug-Ins
The following topics include high-level procedures of a typical workflow you might use when
you edit with a particular media type and AMA Plug-Ins.
Using XDCAM and XDCAM EX and XDCAM SR AMA Plug-Ins
The Sony® XDCAM™ decks and camcorders use an optical disk to store recorded media. The
XDCAM devices record media in high-resolution MPEG IMX™, DVCAM™, and XDCAM HD
formats or corresponding low-resolution or compressed (proxy) media (MPEG-4). This lets you
work with the compressed or low-resolution media in an off-line editing session and then later
conform or link the compressed media to the corresponding high-resolution media. The
HDCAM SR AMA plug-in supports MXF-wrapped SR Lite and SR SQ formats (422 YUV and
444 RGB) as transferred from HDCAM SR devices.
You can play XDCAM HD media to a Client monitor or output a digital cut as Best Performance
(yellow/yellow) or Draft Quality (yellow/green). If you use Avid Nitris DX or Avid Mojo DX,
you can play out the back of the HD-SDI.
The following steps describe a typical workflow for editing XDCAM, XDCAM EX or XDCAM
SR clips with AMA.
n
Do not mix AMA and traditional workflows. Either use AMA when you work with an XDCAM
device or use the traditional import/batch import workflow.
100
Using AMA Plug-Ins
You should be aware of the following:
•
Playback performance from an optical disk is very slow. To create a sequence with multiple
effects or layered tracks, Avid suggests that you consolidate the media to a local drive,
instead of working directly from the optical disk.
•
Avid has turned off redrawing of waveforms in the Timeline when you link to XDCAM clips
that reside on a disk. This allows for a faster linking process. When the media is
consolidated, the waveforms redraw.
•
When you link XDCAM clips from an optical disk, Avid recommends that you do not
display the bin in Frame view or Script view due to performance issues.
A typical workflow is as follows:
1. Make sure the Sony XDCAM and XDCAM EX, or XDCAM SR AMA plug-in is installed
on your system.
2. For XDCAM, install the appropriate Sony XDCAM drivers.
You do not need drivers for XDCAM EX.
3. Insert the XDCAM disk or XDCAM EX card.
The system links the XDCAM clips into a bin. The media itself remains on the disk. The
clips point directly to the high-resolution media on the disk.
For XDCAM clips from an optical disk, a progress bar appears to show you how much time
is left to link the media.
n
If you use multiple cards and you remove one of the cards, your media displays offline.
4. Use the master clips to edit the sequence.
5. (Option) Rename the clips to help organize your material.
6. You can either transfer your media to your hard drive and then transcode or consolidate your
sequence or clips, or consolidate directly from the XDCAM disk.
n
When you consolidate, if you want to keep your AMA clips linked to the original source, select
the option “Keep Master clips linked to media on the original drive,” in the Copying Media Files
dialog box.
Consolidating your media helps when you work with multiple cards. If you remove a card
from the reader, consolidating lets you view your sequence with all the media online.
Due to the design of the Nitris input/output hardware, playback of XDCAM or XDCAM EX
media on an Avid Symphony using Nitris causes dropped frames. To allow for full
performance playback, transcode the XDCAM media into DNxHD media to play the video
on your Avid Symphony system with Avid Nitris input/output hardware.
101
Using AMA Plug-Ins
n
For information on consolidating your sequence, see “Consolidating Media” on page 567. For
information on transcoding your sequence, see “Using the Transcode Command” on page 573.
7. Remove the XDCAM disk or XDCAM EX card:
t
(Windows) Select Safely Remove Hardware icon in the taskbar and select Safely
Remove XDCAM EX device name.
t
(Macintosh) Click the device icon on your desktop and drag it to the Trash.
Using XDCAM Multiple Resolution Clips with AMA
The XDCAM AMA plug-in allows you to link to low-resolution (proxy) or high-resolution
audio or video media. The AMA multiple resolution feature supports specific XDCAM devices
which include a /PROAV folder. For example, the Sony PDWU1 Professional Disc Drive Unit.
See your Sony documentation for information on how to enable the /PROAV directory for your
device.
Avid editing systems do not support XDCAM proxy audio.
The following steps describe a typical workflow for editing XDCAM multiple resolution clips
with AMA.
n
Do not mix AMA and traditional workflows. Either use AMA when you work with an XDCAM
device or use the traditional import/batch import workflow.
•
Playback performance from an optical disk is very slow. To create a sequence with multiple
effects or layered tracks, Avid suggests that you consolidate the media to a local drive,
instead of working directly from the optical disk.
•
Avid has turned off redrawing of waveforms in the Timeline when you link to XDCAM clips
that reside on a disk. This allows for a faster linking process. When the media is
consolidated, the waveforms redraw.
•
When you link XDCAM clips from an optical disk, Avid recommends that you do not
display the bin in Frame view or Script view due to performance issues.
1. Use Sony’s PDZ-1 software to associate your low-resolution clips with metadata to identify
the clip in the Avid bin. This includes entering a User Disc ID in the Disc Properties
window.
2. The Sony XDCAM and XDCAM EX AMA plug-in should be installed on your system.
3. Install the appropriate Sony XDCAM drivers.
102
Using AMA Plug-Ins
6. Click the Quality tab.
7. Click the appropriate resolution for your video and audio in the AMA Link Preference
section, and click OK.
8. Insert the XDCAM disk in the XDCAM device.
9. Select Bin Selection options from the Bins tab.
For information on bin selection options, see “Linking Media with AMA” on page 89.
10. Select File > Link to AMA Volume.
The Browse for Folder dialog box opens.
11. Navigate to the XDCAM clips, and then click OK.
The clips appear in the bin or bins depending on the bin options you selected. A link icon
appears next to the clips.
12. Edit the sequence.
13. Right-click the bin and select Modify AMA Resolutions to relink your low-resolution to
high-resolution media.
14. To consolidate your media, see “Consolidating Multiple Resolution Media” on page 104.
n
dialog box.
15. Click the Highest Quality for your video and audio and click OK.
The highest quality clips appear in the bin along with the low resolution (most compressed)
clips. A link icon appears next to the clips.
If the system cannot find the corresponding low-resolution clip, it might be because you
inserted the wrong XDCAM disk. If you insert the wrong disk, the system displays a
message that informs you to insert the correct disk. If you used Sony’s PDZ-1 software and
provided a disk name in the User Disc ID field, the system message displays the disk label
name. If you did not use the PDZ-1 software, the system asks you to insert the disk
containing the (low-resolution) clip selected in the bin.
16. Remove the XDCAM disk.
spanned XDCAM EX clips in your Avid editing application.
For more information about spanned clips, see “Spanned Clips” on page 94.
103
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Switching Between Multiple Resolution Media
Once you link to the low-resolution or high-resolution media and complete your edits, you can
easily switch from low to high and high to low-resolution media. When you switch to a different
resolution, the system replaces the clip in the bin with the new clip and resolution.
The steps below highlight switching from low-resolution to high-resolution media. You can also
switch from high-resolution to low-resolution.
n
For XDCAM, if you use the Sony PDZ-1 software to assign a User Disc ID, the Avid editing
system displays this information in a bin column and knows what disk name is associated with
each clip.
To switch from low-resolution to high-resolution media:
1. Insert the disk in the device.
2. Select the low-resolution clips in the bin.
3. Right-click the bin and select Modify AMA Resolutions.
The AMA Resolutions Quality dialog box appears.
4. Click the Highest Quality for your video (audio is always set to Highest Quality) and click
OK.
The highest quality clips replace the most compressed (low-resolution) clips in the bin. A
link icon appears next to the clips.
If the bin contains clips from multiple volumes, you will be prompted to insert another disk.
Consolidating Multiple Resolution Media
When you are ready to move your media to shared storage, you can link to your resolution and
consolidate at the same time.
104
Using AMA Plug-Ins
The steps below highlight consolidating high-resolution media. You can also consolidate
low-resolution media.
For information on why you should consolidate, see “Consolidating Media” on page 567.
To consolidate high-resolution media:
For information about the AMA Settings, see “AMA Settings” on page 46.
3. Click the Quality tab.
4. Click the appropriate resolution for your video in the Consolidate Preference section, and
click OK.
If a particular resolution is not available, it will be grayed out.
5. To consolidate the clip, follow the steps in “Using the Consolidate Command” on page 569.
The resolutions you select in the Consolidate Preference area of the AMA Settings Quality
tab displays in the Transcode/Consolidate dialog box when you consolidate or transcode.
105
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Using the P2 AMA Plug-In
Panasonic’s P2 equipment records DV, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO 50 media on compact,
solid-state memory cards (P2 cards). Avid editing applications support editing of media directly
from these memory cards, without the need to capture. You can also write your sequence back to
the P2 card. Panasonic P2 video and audio media is recorded in MXF format.
The following are recognized as P2 cards by your Avid editing application:
•
Panasonic P2 cards in an attached reader or camera or in a laptop PC Card slot.
•
Synthetic P2 cards. A complete copy of a P2 card copied to the root of a drive or mounted as
a drive, for example, by mapping to a drive letter.
Each P2 card stores MXF files in two folders:
•
(Windows) drive:\Contents\Audio
(Macintosh) Macintosh HD/Contents/Audio
•
(Windows) drive:\Contents\Video
(Macintosh) Macintosh HD/Contents/Video
Examples of MXF audio and video files contained in the Audio and Video folders. Top: four audio tracks for a single
clip. Bottom: the corresponding video track.
106
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Panasonic P2 devices write individual MXF audio and video media files for each track of each
clip. For example, a P2 clip that includes one track of video and four tracks of audio is stored on
the P2 card as five individual media files. Within your Avid editing application the five media
files are represented as a single clip with audio and video.
The following steps describe a typical workflow for editing P2 clips with AMA.
n
Do not mix AMA and traditional workflows. Either use AMA when you work with a P2 device or
use the traditional import/batch import workflow.
1. Make sure the Panasonic P2 AMA plug-in is installed on your system.
2. Install the appropriate Panasonic P2 driver.
3. Mount one or more P2 cards (up to five). For information on mounting and naming P2 cards,
see your Panasonic device documentation.
The system links the P2 clips automatically into a bin.
n
If you use multiple P2 cards and you remove one of the cards, your media displays offline.
4. Use the master clips to edit and output a sequence.
5. (Option) Rename the clips to organize your material.
6. Consolidate or transcode your sequence or clips.
The media consolidates to the destination you set in the Media Creation dialog box.
Consolidating your media helps when you work with multiple P2 cards. If a card is removed
n
dialog box.
n
When you transcode a sequence, the system automatically defaults to convert both audio and
video. You cannot transcode video only with P2.
n
7. Remove the P2 card.
107
Using AMA Plug-Ins
If you work in an Avid shared storage environment, you can share sequences that contain P2
clips in an Avid shared storage workspace. However, you can share P2 clips only if you
transcode or consolidate them to a workspace.
•
In an MXF workgroup, you can either consolidate or transcode P2 clips to a workspace. If
you transcode, you must transcode P2 MXF files to another MXF resolution.
•
In an OMF workgroup, you must transcode P2 clips to a workspace. You must transcode P2
MXF files to OMF files.
If you consolidate or transcode clips to an Avid shared storage workspace, it automatically
checks all related metadata into the asset manager. This makes the clips accessible to other users.
For more information on workgroup support, see the Avid Interplay Help.
n
Some card slots of the P2 drive might require drive letters that have already been assigned to
existing network drives. If your computer does not display all five card slots as drives, reassign
the network drives or restart your system.
spanned P2 clips in your Avid editing application.
Using the AVCHD AMA Plug-In
AVCHD is a file-based format and does not use magnetic tape. Instead, video can be recorded
onto DVD discs, hard disk drives, non-removable solid-state memory and removable flash
memory cards.
n
Play performance might vary depending on the type of medium you use and the speed of our
computer.
AVCHD media files are recorded in MTS format; the file contains both the video and audio.
Audio can be either uncompressed PCM or Dolby® AC-3 format.
n
You must activate the Dolby AC-3 codec the first time you AMA link to an AVCHD clip. If you are
connected to the Internet, activation is automatic. If you are not connected to the Internet, the
system opens a dialog box and then the Avid License Control tool. Follow the on screen
instructions to activate this feature.
The folder and file structure is dependent on the camera you use.
n
Most AVCHD cameras produce default file names starting with “00000.” Be aware that you
could have multiple clips with the same file name across multiple media drives.
108
Using AMA Plug-Ins
The following steps describe a typical workflow for editing AVCHD clips with AMA.
1. Install the AVCHD AMA plug-in on your system.
2. To link to an entire volume, attach the camera and insert a card, disc or drive.
The system links the AVCHD clips automatically into a bin.
n
n
It is highly recommended for performance reasons, that you copy the entire media volume to an
external HD drive if you plan on copying media from a card. You may have to use the File >
AMA Link command if the files do not automatically link.
If you use multiple AVCHD cards and you remove one of the cards, your media displays offline.
3. To link to an individual AVCHD file, with the camera and card, disc or drive inserted, select
File > AMA Link.
4. From the AMA Plugin Filter menu, select AVCHD.
5. Locate and select the .mts file(s) you want to link. Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple
files.
6. Click Open.
The clips appear in the active bin. A link icon appears next to the clips.
9. Transcode your sequence or clips.
n
video. You cannot transcode video only with AVCHD.
n
For information on transcoding your sequence, see “Using the Transcode Command” on
page 573.
Spanned clips are clips that extend from one card, disc or drive to another. Avid supports
working with spanned AVCHD clips in your Avid editing application.
109
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Using the Canon XF AMA Plug-In
The Canon XF305 and Canon XF300 camera records MPEG-2 media onto compact flash cards.
Through the Canon XF AMA plug-in and the MXF AMA plug-in, you can link to Canon
MPEG-2 media through the AMA method. Canon XF video and audio media files record in
MXF format.
You can edit directly from a flash card, without having to capture. You can link to a Canon XF
flash card and reader attached to your system or copy a Canon XF flash card to the root of a
drive.
Each card stores the video and audio files in:
n
•
(Windows) drive:\CONTENTS\CLIPS
•
(Macintosh) Macintosh HD/CONTENTS/CLIPS
AMA does not recognize clips if the folder names in the selected path contain double-byte
characters (DBCS). AMA recognizes folders with the directory path that includes ASCII
alphanumeric characters.
1. The Canon XF AMA plug-in and the MXF AMA plug-in should be installed on your
system.
2. Mount the flash cards.
The system links the Canon XF clips automatically into a bin.
n
If you use multiple flash cards and you remove one of the cards, your media displays offline.
Consolidating your media helps when you work with multiple cards. If a card is removed
n
n
dialog box.
6. Remove the flash card.
110
Using AMA Plug-Ins
spanned Canon XF clips in your Avid editing application. For more information about spanned
clips, see “Spanned Clips” on page 94.
Using the GFCAM AMA Plug-In
The Ikegami GFCAM HDS-V10 is a tapeless camera/recorder that uses flash memory instead of
video tapes as a recording medium. GFCAM devices record MPEG-2 Long GOPmedia onto a
GFPAK™, a removable high-speed storage medium. GFCAM is only available through the AMA
method. GFCAM video and audio media files record in MXF format.
Each GFPAK stores the video MXF files in:
•
(Windows) drive:\BINxxx\VIDEO
•
(Macintosh) Macintosh HD/BINxxx/VIDEO
Each GFPAK stores the audio MXF files in:
•
(Windows) drive:\BINxxx\AUDIO
•
(Macintosh) Macintosh HD/BINxxx/AUDIO
The GFCAM video file directory stores MXF files regulated by SMPTE 390M (MXF OP-Atom)
and SMPTE 381M (MXF mapping MPEG streams into MXF GC). If a video clip needs to split,
such as under the FAT32 file system, the system creates multiple MXF files for that clip.
The GFCAM audio file directory stores MXF files regulated by SMPTE 382 (MXF mapping
AES3 and BWF into the MXF GC). Each file has an AES channel that consists of two audio
channels. For example, the system creates two MXF files from two AES channels (four audio
channels). If an audio clip splits, the system creates multiple audio files for that clip.
GFCAM allows gapless recording over several GFPAKs, however, each GFPAK handles the
contents as a separate clip. If you record across three GFPAKs, you create three separate clips.
You can then edit those clips together into one continuous sequence.
n
1080p/23.98 pulldown and 720p/23.98 pulldown record at 59.94fps and are only compatible
with 1080i/59.94 and 720p/59.94 projects.
1080p/29.97 records as PSF at 59.94fps and is only compatible with 1080i/59.94 projects.
1080p/25 and 720p/25 record as PSF at 50fps and are only compatible with 1080i/50 and
720p/50 projects.
111
Using AMA Plug-Ins
1. Make sure the GFCAM AMA plug-in is installed on your system.
2. Insert the GFPAK.
Your Avid editing system links the GFCAM clips automatically into a bin. The media itself
remains on the disk. The clips point directly to the high-resolution media on the disk.
n
If you use multiple GFPAKs and you remove one of the GFPAKs, your media displays offline.
Consolidating your media helps when you work with multiple GFPAKs. If a GFPAK is
unplugged, consolidating lets you view your sequence with all the media online.
n
n
dialog box.
video. You cannot transcode video only with GFCAM.
6. Disconnect the GFPAK.
Working with Shot Marks and Check Marks with GFCAM Media
GFCAM products use Shot Marks and Check Marks to store metadata about media clips.
Shot Marks allow GFCAM cameras to mark events such as clip start points or audio clipping.
Press the RET button on the GFCAM device while you record or playback to set a Shot Mark.
For a description of Shot Marks, see your GFCAM documentation.
In the AMA method, Shot Marks are brought over automatically and appear as markers in your
Avid editing application. There is no text associated with a Shot Mark, just a marked location (or
a marker). For information about editing markers, see “Using Markers” on page 646.
A Check Mark flags a “good shot.” The AMA method translates this good shot clip with the
word “true” in a new bin column named Check Mark. If there are no Check Marks associated
with a clip, a Check Mark heading does not appear.
112
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Using the RED AMA Plug-In
The RED ONE camera generates a 4K (or 2K - 4.5K) full resolution REDCODE™ RAW (.R3D)
file. Media is stored on a REDFlash card or a RED drive. You can link to a specific R3D file on
the volume or link to the entire volume. RED ONE cameras record metadata which displays in
an Avid bin. The metadata includes: edge code, timecode, lens parameters, audio settings and
any video image processing information.
Your Avid editing application supports RED R3D files as high quality HD media. Once you link
the clips through AMA, you can change and fine-tune the clip color settings through the Source
Settings dialog.
n
You cannot consolidate the RED media in your Avid editing application.
The RED Camera records a unique clip name and additional files that include the REDCODE
RAW files and an optional QuickTime reference file placed in a clip folder (.RDC). The system
names clips by Camera Letter + Reel Number + Month + Day + a two digit alphanumeric
random number.
For example: A001_C002_0502A6.RDC
Each clip folder (.RMD) is at the root directory. In each of these folders is the .RDC folder which
contains the video, audio, and metadata files:
•
(Windows) drive:\camera+reel_date.RMD\camera+reel_clip_date+random number.RDC
•
(Macintosh) Macintosh HD/camera+reel_date.RMD/camera+reel_clip_date+random
number.RDC
Avid's RED workflow allows you to work with RSX, RLX, and RMD files to manage a clip's
color. You have access to all the metadata and color values in the raw RED files as well as the
above mentioned “look” files associated with this media. You may also make non-destructive,
custom color adjustments to the R3D clip. These adjustments can be made at any stage of the
process.
AMA detects folders named with RMD and RDC and files named .R3D.
n
Audio is included in the RED files, and will display as .wav files in the bin.
You cannot span media across multiple cards. Each clip is recorded as a separate clip, regardless
of how many cards you use. There is a 2GB limit on a single master clip. As you record footage,
once a 2GB file is captured, an R3D file is created (.001). The camera continues to record and
the next 2GB (or less) of media creates another R3D file (.002) until you end recording. So, you
can have several R3D files in one clip folder but they are all associated with one master clip.
When you link these files/folders through the AMA method, one master clip appears in your bin
113
Using AMA Plug-Ins
1. Make sure the RED AMA plug-in is installed on your system.
2. Attach the RED drive or insert a REDFlash card.
Your Avid editing system links the RED clips automatically into a bin. The media itself
remains on the disk. The clips point directly to the high-resolution media on the disk. All
metadata information displays as columns in the bin.
n
3. Right-clip the clip in the bin and select Source Settings.
For detailed information to set clip parameters, see “Adjusting RED Source Settings” on
page 115.
5. (Option) Rename the clips to help you organize your material.
6. Choose the video quality from the Transcode & Consolidate tab of the Media Creation
setting.
For more information, see “Preparing your RED Clip for Transcode, Mixdown, or Render”
on page 114.
7. Transcode your sequence or clips to an HD or SD resolution.
If you need to output to a resolution higher than HD, then export an AFE of your sequence
for the conform process on an Avid DS. If your high-resolution media is on a shared storage
device and Avid DS has access to the device, Avid DS automatically relinks to the RED
files.
8. Remove the RED drive or card.
For information on preparing your RED clip for transcode, mixdown, or renders, see “Preparing
your RED Clip for Transcode, Mixdown, or Render” on page 114
Preparing your RED Clip for Transcode, Mixdown, or Render
If you want to take a RED clip and offline it to another application, you can create a different
resolution RED file, depending on your requirements. This changes the speed and quality of the
clip, which could affect the playback performance. The higher the video quality the slower the
process (transcode, mixdown, render). The lower the video quality the faster the process. Before
you transcode, mixdown or render your clip or sequence, set the appropriate quality in the Media
Creation dialog box.
n
If you apply any Reformat options (stretch, letterbox, etc.) to your clip, when you perform a
transcode, the reformatting options will apply.
114
Using AMA Plug-Ins
To prepare your RED clip for transcoding, mixdown or rendering:
1. Before you transcode, mixdown or render, select Tools > Media Creation.
2. Click the Mixdown & Transcode tab or click the Render tab.
3. Select the playback quality from the R3D Source Quality (Debayer) menu.
t
Full
t
Half (Best Quality)
t
Half (Good Quality)
t
Quarter
t
Eighth
t
Sixteenth
4. Click OK.
5. Transcode, mixdown or render your clip or sequence as required.
Adjusting RED Source Settings
When you link to R3D (RED) files, the Avid editing system reads each REDCODE RAW file
directly. You can then change the clip’s color values: color balance, exposure, and contrast in the
Source Settings window. This color value information is encoded with the R3D file through an
RLX, RSX or RMD file. These files hold the camera’s original color values of your clip.
n
The RLX, RSX or RMD files might be created if you set the color values outside of the Avid
editing application. These files can be loaded and applied to the associated RED clip through the
Source Settings window.
When a RED clip displays in the bin, the system displays the metadata columns of the clip’s
color values. For example: Color Space, Gamma Space, Kelvin, Tint. You can export this
information to ALE (Avid Log Exchange) and XML (through Avid FilmScribe) for downstream
use in your workflow.
The AMA Source Settings window also has various color spaces to choose from. You can set up
different color options (or presets) in each of these color spaces and then apply their color values
to multiple clips.
To change the RED source settings:
1. Link the RED clip through the AMA Link option.
2. Right-click the RED clip in the bin and select Set Source Settings.
The Source Settings dialog box opens. The clip displays in the video area.
115
Using AMA Plug-Ins
You can choose from the Settings menu to select a camera metadata setting or an RSX, RLX
or RMD setting (template), or adjust your own custom parameters. This procedure details
the custom parameters.
3. Drag the video slider to the frame you want to view.
The new frame displays and the histogram updates.
The histogram is a tool that helps you more precisely adjust Source Settings. For more
information about the histogram, see “Understanding the Source Settings Histogram” in the
Avid editing Help.
116
Using AMA Plug-Ins
4. Set the appropriate options, you can select from a menu, drag the sliders, enter values or
click the eyedropper:
Option
Description
Color Space
Choose from:
Camera RGB: as close to RAW
REC.709: SMPTE standard color space for HD
REDcolor (default): newest, more accurate color science from RED
REDcolor2: better skin tones and color from RED
REDcolor3: more improvements from RED
REDSpace: based on the camera’s RGB but more saturated
Gamma Curve
Lets you override the gamma curve. Choose from:
REC.709: a REC.709 gamma curve with a linear portion at black and
a gamma at 2.2 curve
REDLog: maps the 12-bit sensor data on to a 10-bit curve with
minimal loss
REDLogFilm: a way of containing a large dynamic range in a video
file. Needs to be viewed through a LUT to convert it for viewing on a
monitor.
REDSpace: based on REC.709 but with more contrast
REDGamma (default): gamma curve from RED with a smoother
highlight rolloff
REDGamma2
REDGamma3
White Balance
Adjusts the color temperature of your image in one click. Use the
eyedropper icon and then click a known white area in your RED
footage to achieve the correct light or neutral balance. This option is
equivalent to adjusting the Kelvin and Tint options. When you use
the White Balance option, the system automatically adjusts Kelvin
and Tint. It is recommended you adjust White Balance first before
performing any other adjustments to the image for best quality. This
change adjusts the entire clip and updates the histogram.
Kelvin
Adjusts the RGB color to compensate for red - blue tinting of the
scene at different color temperatures of the ambient light while you
shoot. Common values are 3200 (tungsten) and 5600 (daylight).
Click and drag the slider from 1700 to 9400. Default is 5600.
Tint
Adjusts the RGB color to compensate for yellow - green tinting of
the scene at different color temperatures of the ambient light while
you shoot. This is valuable when the ambient light source contains a
significant amount of yellow or green, such as fluorescent. Click and
drag the slider from -100 to 100. Default is 0.00.
ISO
Allows the ISO level to change from 50 to 2000. Default is 320.
117
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Option
Description
FLUT™
The latest color science developed by RED. Allows you to balance
your mid-grays in the center of the histogram without pushing
highlight details over the edge.
Shadow
Adjusts the overall black level of the image without affecting the
white level. Click and drag the slider from 0.00 to 1.00. Default is
0.00.
DRX
Lets you recover potentially lost dynamic range by extending and
balancing highlights, taking into account the rendering intent of the
desired Kelvin and Tint white balance. Click and drag the slider from
0.00 to 1.00. Default is 0.00.
Debayer Detail
Choose from High (default), Medium, or Low.
Chroma Denoise
Choose from Off (default), Minimum, Milder, Mild, Strong, or
Maximum.
OLPF
Controls the optical low-pass filter. Choose from Off (default), Low,
Medium, or High.
Exposure
Allows adjustment to the clip exposure. Click and drag the slider
from -7.00 to 7.00. Default is 0.00.
Brightness
Adjusts the overall brightness of the image. Lifts blacks without
affecting the white level. Click and drag the slider from -10.00 to
10.00. Default is 0.00.
Contrast
Adjusts the tonal range of the image, which usually improves
sharpness and detail. When you increase the Contrast, it increases
tonal separation between adjacent gray levels but decreases the total
number of discreet gray levels in the image.
Click and drag the slider from -1.00 to 1.00. Default is 0.00.
Saturation
Affects the intensity of the red, green and blue channels. As the value
increases color saturation increases. As the value decreases, so does
the color decrease. If the value is set to high, colors might clip. If the
level is set to 0.00, a monochromatic image with only gray tones
appear.
Click and drag the slider from 0.00 to 4.00. Default is 1.00
Red
Increases or decreases the camera’s sensitivity to red light by
amplifying the R channel digital video signal received from the
sensor. A 0 (zero) no Red is visible, the image has a strong cyan cast.
Click and drag the slider from 0.00 to 10.00. Default is 1.00.
118
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Option
Description
Green
Increases or decreases the camera’s sensitivity to green light by
amplifying the G channel digital video signal received from the
sensor. At 0 (zero), no green is visible, the image has a strong
magenta cast. Click and drag the slider from 0.00 to 10.00. Default is
1.00.
Blue
Increases or decreases the camera’s sensitivity to blue light by
amplifying the B channel digital video signal received from the
sensor. At 0 (zero), no blue light is visible, the image has a strong
yellow cast. Click and drag the slider from 0.00 to 10.00. Default is
1.00.
5. Click Apply.
The changes apply to your clip. You can continue to make additional changes.
If the clip is in the Source viewer, the changes are reflected in the Source viewer and in the
Client monitor (if you have one attached).
If you click Cancel after you click Apply, the Set Source Settings window closes with the
changes you made.
6. Click OK to save your change and close the window.
The system updates the bin column metadata with the new parameters.
n
If you make changes in the Source Settings window and then relink the clip through AMA again,
you still keep all the parameters that you set.
Using RED Source Settings
Source Settings lets you choose from a selection of preset templates or you can create your own
look. Each source setting has its own color values associated with it. There are a few different
ways to obtain source settings:
•
Camera and default source settings are included with the RED AMA plugin
•
Link a RED clip from RED Alert! (imports the RSX source setting)
•
Load a source setting onto your system (for example, an RLX, RSX, or RMD)
•
Create a custom source setting
You cannot change the default RSX and RLX source settings, these are predefined. Once you
make a change to a parameter, the setting becomes a Custom setting. At this time, you can only
have one Custom setting.
119
Using AMA Plug-Ins
You can load multiple RSX and RLX source settings. As you link a RED clip from RED Alert!
(RSX) or load an RLX file, the setting appears in the Source Settings menu.
Source Settings are helpful when you want to apply one setting to multiple clips in your bin.
Different subclips from the same master clip can have different source settings.
When you edit a clip into a sequence, the material you edit in uses the clip’s current attribute
values or RED source settings. If you change the RED source settings at a later point in your
workflow, the sequence does not automatically adjust for the change. If you want the sequence to
use the RED source settings for clips that you have changed since you edited, you must refresh
the sequence. For procedures on how to refresh your sequence, see “Refreshing Sequences to
Use Current Clip Attributes” on page 731.
Applying a RED Source Setting
To apply a source setting to a RED clip:
1. Right-click a RED clip in the bin (or Shift-click multiple clips), then choose Set Source
Settings.
The Set Source Settings window opens and your clip displays in the viewer.
2. Select a setting (template) from the Source Settings menu.
Source Settings vary depending on the files or templates loaded on your system.
Setting
Origin
Camera Metadata Settings
Default
Default Settings
Default
Grade (RSX) Settings
RED Alert!
filename RLX Setting
RED Alert!
Grade (RMD) Setting
REDCINE-X
Custom
User created in Avid
3. Click Apply.
The settings apply to the clip and if the clip is loaded in the Timeline, the video updates and
displays in a Client monitor (if one is attached) and the Source monitor.
4. Click OK to save your settings and close the window.
The system updates the bin column RED metadata with the parameters.
120
Using AMA Plug-Ins
If you make additional changes after you select a setting, the system creates a Custom
setting and Custom appears in the Settings list. You cannot make changes to a system
generated setting, however you can use a system setting and make changes to create your
own Custom setting.
To import additional source settings:
1. From the Source Settings window, click the Load button.
The Load External Settings window opens.
2. Browse to the Settings file.
3. Change the filter to display RSX, RLX or RMD files.
4. Select your setting and click OK.
The new source setting appears in the Source Settings menu, and is immediately applied to
the clip.
Using the QuickTime AMA Plug-In
There are a few guidelines you should follow when you link QuickTime files through AMA.
To link QuickTime media through the AMA method, you first need to create a QuickTime movie
from a third-party application or through the Avid editing system. The third-party applications
that supports creating a QuickTime movie include Adobe AfterEffects® and Final Cut Pro. This
is done through the QuickTime Export dialog box which uses the Avid QuickTime Codecs.
These codecs automatically install on your Avid editing system. At this time, Avid supports the
Same as Source and Custom export settings options when you export with the Avid QuickTime
codecs. This process creates an Avid compressed QuickTime media file, with a .mov extension.
AMA only detects and links to Avid compressed QuickTime media.
n
For information about exporting a QuickTime movie, see “Exporting QuickTime Movies” on
page 1164.
QuickTime files use the .mov file name extension. After you link a QuickTime file through
AMA, the file drops the .mov file name extension. QuickTime media is linked at the data rate at
which it was recorded.
A QuickTime AMA workflow is as follows:
1. Create a QuickTime movie with a supported codec in an application such as Adobe
AfterEffects or Apple’s Final Cut Pro.
Avid supports the Same as Source and Custom export settings options when you export with
Avid QuickTime codec.
n
See Adobe and Apple documentation for information on how to create a QuickTime movie.
121
Using AMA Plug-Ins
2. Move the created .mov file onto your Avid editing system.
3. Open a bin.
If there is no active bin, a dialog box appears asking you to select a bin.
n
To link to multiple QuickTime files, use the File > Link to AMA Volume(s) option and select the
folder that stores all the QuickTime files.
n
For information about AMA, see “The Avid Media Access (AMA) Workflow” on page 75.
5. From the AMA Plugin Filter menu, select QuickTime.
6. Locate and select the .mov file(s) you want to link. Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select
multiple files.
7. Click Open.
The clips appear in the active bin. A link icon appears next to the clips.
If any of the movies you linked to were QuickTime with Alpha channel files, they appear in
your bin as a Matte Key effect. The Alpha Channel options in the Import Settings Image tab
apply to the QuickTime AMA linked file. Therefore, the QuickTime file will appear in the
bin as a master clip if the Ignore option is set or will appear inverted or not inverted
depending on the selected options.
8. Use the linked clips to edit your sequence.
9. If you need to change the QuickTime clip in After Effects or FCP, open the existing file in
After Effects or FCP and make the change.
If you change the number of tracks, change the duration of the clip or change the clips file
name, when you relink through AMA, the system creates a new clip and will not overwrite
or replace the existing clip in the bin.
If you change the number of tracks, the duration, or edit rate, but not the file name, any clips
linked to the sequence will unlink and the clips display Media Offline.
n
If you change the file name or the location of the clip, you can Relink to AMA files. For more
information, see “Relinking to AMA-Linked QuickTime Files” on page 93.
10. From your Avid editing application, select Clear Monitor from the Clip Name menu above
the monitors.
This clears the monitors and Timeline of any old clips.
122
Using AMA Plug-Ins
11. Render or export the newly changed QuickTime movie out of AfterEffects or FCP to the
same folder location as the original file. Accept all overwrite prompts. Once the changed
QuickTime movie is exported or rendered, refocus or open (if FCP or AfterEffects are on the
same system) your Avid editing application.
The updated clip appears in your bin (and sequence) and replaces the old clip. If the clip is in
the Source or Record monitor, it also will update.
12. Continue to edit your sequence or consolidate or transcode your sequence or clip.
n
n
dialog box.
Adjusting QuickTime Source Settings
You can change the dynamic range of a linked AMA QuickTime movie from 601/709 video
range (16-235) to RGB range (0-255) or from RGB range (0-255) to 601/709 video range
(16-235). This setting is only supported with QuickTime movies that were created with a
non-Avid codec, including ProRes, H.264 and Animation.
When a QuickTime clip displays in the bin, the system displays the metadata columns of the
clip’s color values.
To change the QuickTime source settings:
1. Link the QuickTime clip through the File > Link to AMA File option or to link to multiple
QuickTime files, use the File > Link to AMA Volume(s) option.
2. Right-click the QuickTime clip in the bin and select Set Source Settings.
n
If your QuickTime movie was created with an Avid codec, the Set Source Settings option will not
be available.
The Source Settings dialog box opens. The clip displays in the video area.
123
Using AMA Plug-Ins
3. Drag the video slider to the frame you want to view.
The new frame displays and the histogram updates.
The histogram is a tool that helps you more precisely adjust Source Settings. For more
information about the histogram, see “Understanding the QuickTime Source Settings
Histogram” in the Avid editing Help.
4. Set the appropriate options:
Option
Description
Settings
Default
Custom: User created in Avid.
Field Ordering
Default
Progressive: The image is interpreted as a progressive image.
Interlaced - Odd (upper field first) ordered: Adjusts the clip so that
the top field is played before the lower field.
Interlaced - Even (lower field first): Adjusts the clip so that the lower
field is played before the top field.
Field Layout
(Available when Field
Ordering > Interlaced
is selected)
Merged (default): Alternates field information.
Split: Based on the field ordering selection (Interlaced Odd or
Interlaced Even), fields will be split into one over the other. For
example, all odd fields are over all even fields.
124
Using AMA Plug-Ins
Option
Description
GFX/Video Level
Do not modify levels: Leave as is
Expand video levels to graphic levels: Changes the dynamic range
from an 601/709 video range (16-235) to RGB range (0-255).
Compress graphic levels to video levels: Changes the dynamic range
from RGB (0-255) range to an 601/709 video range (16-235). This
option is useful if you created a QuickTime movie with graphic
levels in AfterEffects and then brought the clip into an Avid editing
application.
5. Click Apply.
The changes apply to your clip. You can continue to make additional changes.
If the clip is in the Source viewer, the changes are reflected in the Source viewer and in the
Client monitor (if you have one attached).
If you click Cancel after you click Apply, the Set Source Settings window closes with the
changes you made.
6. Click OK to save your change and close the window.
The system updates the bin column metadata with the new parameters.
n
If you make changes in the Source Settings window and then relink the clip through AMA again,
you still keep all the parameters that you set.
Applying a QuickTime Source Setting
Source Settings lets you choose from a Custom of Default setting. Each source setting has its
own color values associated with it.
To apply a source setting to a QuickTime clip:
1. Right-click a QuickTime clip in the bin (or Shift-click multiple clips), then choose Set
Source Settings.
The Set Source Settings window opens and your clip displays in the viewer.
2. Select a setting from the Source Settings menu.
Setting
Origin
Default Settings
Default
Custom
User created in Avid
3. Click Apply.
125
Using AMA Plug-Ins
The settings apply to the clip and if the clip is loaded in the Timeline, the video updates and
displays in a Client monitor (if one is attached) and the Source monitor.
4. Click OK to save your settings and close the window.
The system updates the bin column metadata with the parameters.
If you make additional changes after you select a setting, the system creates a Custom
setting and Custom appears in the Settings list. You cannot make changes to a system
generated setting, however you can use a system setting and make changes to create your
own Custom setting.
n
The Load button does not apply to QuickTime media.
Understanding the QuickTime Source Settings Histogram
The histogram in the Source Settings window helps you visualize the distribution of color values
in an image. You can use the histogram to adjust the Source Settings of your AMA media more
precisely while avoiding clipping and color imbalance.
Example of a Source Settings histogram. The histogram plots color values on the horizontal axis and the
percentage or proportional number of pixels on the vertical axis. The vertical lines represent the black point (left)
and the white point (right), so the area between them is the safe color range.
The histogram plots color values that can be represented by the image bit-depth on the horizontal
axis. Therefore, the width of the histogram is the same as the width of the image. The histogram
plots the percentage, or proportional number of pixels in the image, with each particular color
value on the vertical axis. The vertical axis is scaled according to the height of the maximum
value in the plot. Whenever the histogram changes, the vertical axis rescales according to the
new maximum.
126
Using AMA Plug-Ins
n
Pixels with color values that are out of range are grouped into either the maximum or minimum
color values on the plot. Spikes in either the highest or lowest color values might indicate loss of
color information due to clipping.
Using the MXF AMA Plug-In
Material Exchange Format (MXF) is a wrapper or container format which encapsulates media
and rich production metadata into a single file, which is useful for media storage and exchange.
It is an open technology that can is implemented by different manufacturers.
MXF is designed to be flexible enough for use in all stages of content creation, from acquisition,
to authoring, to distribution. The primary benefit of MXF is that it provides greater workflow
efficiency by preserving useful metadata as media files make their way through the content
creation process. The MXF format is independent of the type of content that it contains, so an
MXF file can contain video and/or audio at any resolution or compression. In many instances
MXF files encapsulate media which is already formatted to one of the existing industry
standards.
You can select the MXF format when you capture, link, create titles, or render effects. See
“Media Creation Settings” on page 125.
The MXF AMA plug-in is automatically installed when you install your editing application.
1. Create a supported MXF file (create a supported MXF file from your third party application,
for example: Rhozet or Omneon).
2. Move the .mxf file onto your Avid editing system.
4. From the AMA Plugin Filter menu, select MXF.
5. Select the file(s) you want to link. Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple files.
6. Click Open.
The MXF clips appear in the active bin. A link icon appears next to the clips.
If the system cannot link a file, an error message displays informing you to open the Console
window for more information about the file(s) in error.
If you move the clip from the original drive to another drive on your system, the clip displays
as offline in your bin.
127
Using AMA Plug-Ins
n
If you move a source file from one location to another and then back to the original location, you
might need to refresh the bin to redisplay the clip. Close and reopen the bin to refresh the bin.
7. Use the linked clips to edit your sequence.
8. (Option) Rename the clips to help organize your material.
n
dialog box.
Workflow for Editing Clips with Ancillary Data and AMA
The following steps describe a typical workflow for editing XDCAM or MXF clips with
ancillary data and AMA.
n
Do not mix AMA and traditional workflows. Either use AMA or use the traditional import/batch
import workflow.
•
You can link to the ancillary data clip without an Avid input/output hardware, however, in
order to view the ancillary data in a monitor, an Avid Nitris DX or Avid Mojo DX device is
required.
•
If you consolidate the XDCAM or MXF clip or the sequence that contains the XDCAM or
MXF clip with ancillary data, the ancillary data track stays with the consolidated clip or
sequence. In addition, the Ancillary Data bin column populates with the DID and SDID
numbers once you consolidate or transcode the clip with the ancillary data.
1. The Sony XDCAM or MXF AMA plug-in should be installed on your system.
2. For XDCAM, install the appropriate Sony XDCAM drivers.
3. For an XDCAM clip with ancillary data, insert the XDCAM disk.
The system links the XDCAM clip with ancillary data into a bin. The media itself remains
on the disk. The clips point directly to the media on the disk.
n
n
Ancillary data is only supported with high resolution XDCAM clips. A proxy clip does not
contain a data track, however once you relink to the high resolution XDCAM clip, the data track
comes online.
128
Understanding the Source Settings Histogram
4. For an MXF clip with ancillary data, select File > Link to AMA File(s).
The Select file(s) for AMA linking dialog box opens.
5. From the AMA Plugin Filter menu, select MXF.
6. Select the file(s) you want to link. Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple files.
The MXF clip appears in the bin along with a new Ancillary Data bin column.
n
For information about AMA, see “The Avid Media Access (AMA) Workflow” on page 75.
When you load the clip into a sequence, a Data track appears which contains the ancillary
data.
8. You can then transcode or consolidate your sequence or clips.
n
dialog box.
When you consolidate the XDCAM or MXF clip or the sequence that contains the XDCAM
or MXF clip with ancillary data, the ancillary data track stays with the consolidated clip or
sequence.
n
The histogram in the Source Settings window helps you visualize the distribution of color values
in an image. You can use the histogram to adjust the Source Settings of your AMA media more
precisely while avoiding clipping and color imbalance.
129
Example of a Source Settings histogram. The histogram plots color values on the horizontal axis and the
percentage or proportional number of pixels on the vertical axis. The vertical lines represent the black point (left)
and the white point (right), so the area between them is the safe color range.
The histogram plots color values that can be represented by the image bit-depth on the horizontal
axis. Therefore, the width of the histogram is the same as the width of the image. The histogram
plots the percentage, or proportional number of pixels in the image, with each particular color
value on the vertical axis. The vertical axis is scaled according to the height of the maximum
value in the plot. Whenever the histogram changes, the vertical axis rescales according to the
new maximum.
n
Pixels with color values that are out of range are grouped into either the maximum or minimum
color values on the plot. Spikes in either the highest or lowest color values might indicate loss of
color information due to clipping.
Your Avid editing application draws separate histograms for the red, green, and blue color
components. The histograms for each color stack on top of one another, with the fill color
changing appropriately to indicate overlap. The following illustration shows the colors produced
by overlap.
130
Adjusting the Source Settings Histogram
Adjusting the Source Settings Histogram
You can adjust the Source Settings Histogram in two ways. You can toggle drawing a histogram
for an individual color, and you can zoom the vertical axis.
To adjust the Source Settings Histogram:
t
Right-click anywhere inside the histogram graph, and then select one of the following
options.
Option
Result
Red
Green
Blue
Enables or disables the histogram display for the selected color. A check mark
indicates that the histogram for that particular color displays.
Zoom In
Zooms in on the lower half of the vertical axis.
Changes the scaling of the vertical axis so that the height is half that of the
maximum value in the plot. You can zoom in indefinitely to display, for example,
1/4, 1/8, or 1/16 of the maximum value.
Zoom Out
Zooms out of the vertical axis by a factor of two.
Changes the scaling of the vertical axis to be twice that of the maximum value in
the plot. You can zoom out indefinitely to display, for example, 4, 8, or 16 times
the height of the maximum value.
131
Working with Export Volumes
Option
Result
Reset Zoom
Resets the zoom so that the vertical axis boundary is equal to the maximum value
in the plot.
The Avid editing application supports the creation of AS-02 Export Volumes. AS-02 is a
specification for grouping multiple versions of program content into one single bundle. These
bundles provide an efficient approach for working in a file-based environment.
For example, if you have a sequence with an English audio mix and a sequence with the same
video but with a Spanish audio mix, creating an AS-02 Export Volume allows you to have all the
program elements contained in a bundle without redundancy. The same video essence file can be
the source for the both the English and the Spanish versions. This is useful if you want to save
time on export and reduce used disk space.
The basic workflow is to create a new Export Volume Bin, copy the sequence or sequences you
want to the Volume Bin, commit the assets in the Export Volume Bin, and then archive the AS-02
bundle folder. You can also link to an existing AS-02 bundle.
The bundle folder structure is shown below. This is for reference only. These elements will be
automatically created for you when you commit an Export Volume Bin.
•
The Asset.mxf file is the sequence (version).
•
The Manifest.xml file lists the creator information, creation date, version information and a
list of all the files and folders in the bundle.
•
The Shim.xml file is used as a template or settings file that constrains the rules for a specific
facility.
132
•
The Media folder contains all the media files included in the bundle.
•
The Extra folder contains a copy of the unflattened sequence (AAF composition only). The
Extra folder can also contain any other files you want to keep with the bundle, such as
scripts, graphics, etc.
Asset
Asset.mxf
Manifest.xml
Shim.xml
Media
Extra
Creating an Export Volume
You can create an export volume to place all program elements into a bundle.
To create a new export volume:
1. Select File > New Export Volume.
The Export Volume dialog box opens.
133
2. Select a Volume Type, for example AS-02.
3. Click Set to select the path where you want the Export Volume to reside.
4. Enter a name for the volume.
5. Click Set to select the path to the shim template you want to use.
-
AS-02 supports J2K, Uncompressed 10b RGB, DNxHD, AVCI, IMX and
Uncompressed 8b for SD.
-
All DNxHD templates are tuned to the DNxHD 220x family. That means depending on
the project type, selecting a DNxHD template will export to a DNxHD 10b codec.
-
AS-02 Shim templates for all supported resolutions are located in the Supporting Files
folder.
-
You can choose any one of these templates depending on the desired output
codec/format.
-
You can also create a folder named Default at the root of the AS-02 Templates folder
where you can place custom templates. For example, you can duplicate the
AS-02_Shim_DNxHD_1080i_59.94.xml found in the DNxHD folder, modify it (to a
different audio sample rate or DNxHD resolution) and place the duplicate in the Default
folder. This duplicated template will now be the default template for 1080i59 projects.
-
DNxHD resolutions are supported except DNxHD 100 and DNxHD 36.
6. Click OK.
The Export Volume bin opens.
134
Left to right: Export Volume Type, Path to Asset folder, Properties button, Commit button
Moving Assets to an Export Volume
You can move the desired assets to the Export Volume.
To move assets to the Export Volume:
1. Open the bin that contains the sequence or sequences you want to write to the Export
Volume.
2. Select and drag the sequence(s) to the Export Volume.
A copy of the sequence(s) appears in the Export Volume.
135
n
You can only drag sequences to an AS-02 Export Volume Bin. If you try to drag master clips,
effects, titles, etc, you will receive a message indicating that some assets that you selected could
not be dragged to the Volume Bin. If you receive this message, open the Console Tool to see the
list of items that were not written.
Committing Assets to an Export Volume
Once you commit the assets, the sequence is flattened to the OP1b format, the video is encoded
to the J2K codec and audio saved as PCM.
To commit the assets to the Export Volume:
1. Open the Export Volume that contains the sequence(s) to commit.
2. Click the Commit button to commit the assets to the AS-02 bundle.
The sequence along with its associated media files populate the Export Volume.
Note the Media Status column indicates the committed status of each asset in the volume.
Green indicates the asset is committed. Yellow indicates the asset is not committed. Red
indicates the asset is offline.
136
Once the assets are committed, the following are written to the bundle folder:
-
The sequence (version)
-
The essence files
-
The manifest (a file listing the creation date, creator, version information and a list of all
the files and folders in the bundle.)
-
The shim file (used as a template or settings file that constrains the rules for the specific
facility)
-
An AAF copy of the unflattened sequences(s) in the Extras folder
Archiving the AS-02 Bundle
Once you have committed the assets to the Export Volume, you can archive the AS-02 bundle.
To archive the Assets Folder.
1. Locate the AS-02 bundle folder by accessing the path you set in step 4 of Creating an Export
Volume.
2. Copy the AS-02 bundle folder to your archive server.
Linking to an existing AS-02 Bundle
You can open an existing AS-02 bundle.
137
AS-11 Support
To link to an existing AS-02 Volume:
1. Select File > Link to Volume for Export.
2. Select the folder where the AS-02 bundle resides.
3. Click OK.
4. A new volume bin opens with the AS-02 assets.
You can also choose to Link to AMA Volume if you want to open the assets as Read-only in
a classic bin.
AS-11 Support
The Avid editing application supports the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA)
AS-11 specification. This specification is used in broadcast environments. The specification
defines a set of rules that constrain the specification. AS-11 is an OP1A MXF file format for the
delivery of finished programming. This specification requires program segment markers.
Program segmentation defines specific regions of a show, for example a segment marker for the
A-block, B-block and C-block. See “Adding Spanned Markers While Editing” on page 651 to
apply these markers before you export your sequence.
To export a sequence as AS-11:
1. Select the sequence you want to export as AS-11.
2. Click File > AMA File Export, or right click the sequence and select AMA File Export.
The AMA File Export dialog opens.
3. Select File Type AS-11.
4. (Option) Select the Use Marks or Use Enabled Tracks option.
138
AS-11 Support
t
When you select Use Marks, your Avid editing application uses current IN and OUT
points in the selected clip or sequence to determine starting and ending frames for the
export. To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect this option or mark the entire clip
or sequence.
t
When you select Use Enabled Tracks, your Avid editing application exports the tracks
that are enabled in the Timeline. To export all the tracks in the sequence, deselect this
option.
5. Click the Directory Set button to and browse to the location where you want the AS-11 file
saved.
6. Click Select Folder.
7. Select the Shim Set button to locate the Shim file you want associated with the export and
click Open. Avid provides shims in the following location:
-
(Windows) Program Files/Avid/EditingApplicationName/SupportingFiles
-
(Macintosh) MacintoshHD/Applications/EditingApplicationName/SupportingFiles
The Descriptive Metadata populates in the window depending upon the shim you selected.
8. Enter the specific program information in the Descriptive Metatdata fields.
This is the descriptive data stored in the AS-11 export that describes Essence data. For
example, the language, series title, program title, episode title, etc.
9. Click Save.
The AS-11 file is exported to the selected directory.
When you perform an AMA link to the AS-11 sequence, the spanned markers are
represented in the source Timeline and all the descriptive metadata appears in the Bin
columns.
139
3 Section 2: Avid DS
3 Section 2: Avid DS
141
4 Conforming & Finishing Sequences
with Avid DS
Avid provides an easy and cost-effective way to manipulate high-resolution digital motion
picture images during the finishing and mastering stages of post production. You can link to,
and edit the media at HD resolution directly from file. You can then output at HD resolution
or, if you need to deliver at higher-than-HD, you can use an online editing system such as
Avid DS to link back to the original high-res media for finishing, mastering and delivery
requirements to film (2K+), HD, or SD formats.
The following checklists provide step-by-step details on how to link to the same media used
in Media Composer for the conform and finishing process in Avid DS.
Checklist: Conforming and Finishing Sequences
in Avid DS
The following checklist details all the steps required to conform sequences with
AMA-linked clips from Media Composer to Avid DS. Follow these steps in the order that
they are listed, and return to this checklist each time you complete a step.
Step

Learn how to set up your workgroup so that you “Checklist: Configuring Avid DS on
can share media between Avid editing
Avid Shared Storage” on page 156.
workstations.

If you are using a shared storage area with your “Placing File-based Media on the
offline editing system, make sure that Avid DS Storage Device” on page 155 or
has access to the media used/generated by
“Sharing MXF Media” on page 154.
Media Composer.
Optionally, you can create a specific Avid
MediaFiles folder on your Avid DS storage and
place the source media in that location. (For best
performance, high-resolution files should reside
on a high-capacity storage.)
4 Conforming & Finishing Sequences with Avid DS
Step
n
143
If you are working with different types of high-resolution media (e.g. R3D, ARI,
DPX, TIF), make sure that they are each placed in different folders.

Make sure that your storage has been configured “Configuring your Storage Locations”
to have read/write access for your
on page 158.
high-resolution files.

Open a new project for film or HD.
“Opening an HD or Film Project in Avid
DS” on page 174.

Open the AFE or EDL that you exported from
Avid Media Composer.
“Conforming with AAF/AFE Files” on
page 190.

When working with high-resolution media,
“Color Management in Avid DS” on
Avid DS handles the complicated task of
page 204.
preserving color settings during the transfer and
storage of the media. This is known as color
management and it is achieved by applying
lookup table files (LUTs).

Perform the necessary editing of your sequence “Film Proxy Mode” on page 183.
using low-res proxies of your media.

Add special effects and do the necessary color
correction.

Process your sequence so that you are
Refer to the Processing section in the
guaranteed to play back and output the sequence Avid DS Help.
in real time.

Output your sequence to tape or file.
Refer to the appropriate sections in the
Avid DS Help.
“Outputting Film Sequences” on
page 185.
5 Managing Avid DS Storage
This section provides guidelines on the storage connected to your Avid DS workstation
and/or workgroup. It also contains details on configuring your storage areas.
n
In this information, the general term “Avid editing system” refers to Avid applications other
than Avid DS, such as Symphony™, Media Composer®, and NewsCutter®.
Planning your Storage Locations
Your Avid DS workstation typically includes a base tower with a storage device (disk array).
The video media is stored on the drives in the storage device, while all software, projects,
and audio media are stored on the local drive in the base unit. For more information on the
software and project folders on your local disk—see “About your Local Storage Area” on
page 169.
In Avid DS, all storage devices to which you are connected are managed by the Avid DS
Indexing Services. Each workstation has an indexing service that must be configured for the
storage devices (local and remote) that the workstation needs to access. In a workgroup with
more than one workstation, the Avid Media Indexer manages a table of all the indexing
services on the workstations so that they can share media more efficiently.
When using Avid shared storage, you must ensure that an ISIS or Unity account is created to
match the each Avid DS client user account. If the exact user name and credentials are not in
the ISIS/Unity System Director accounts list, then media access will be problematic on the
Avid workspaces. The storage spaces will either not work properly, or the Avid DS clients
will not able to get real-time playback on the storage—refer to your Avid shared storage
documentation for account creation details.
You also need to add an account for the Avid DS indexing service that runs in the
background on an Avid DS workstation (standalone or in a workgroup). Use a dedicated
DS_Services account name when creating this account.
Workgroup with Private Projects and Centralized Storage
If you don’t anticipate much sharing of media, but still need all media for your workgroup to
be on one storage device (that is an Avid shared storage), then use this centralized storage
scenario, while keeping your project data on the local workstations.
Should you require sequences or media from any other workstation, you can import the
sequence/clip and link to media on that workstation’s shared storage workspace. You will
also need to change the share permissions on that workspace to access the media.
n
If the Avid DS workstations need to share projects and media on a more consistent basis, we
recommend that you follow “Workgroup with Shared Projects and Storage” on page 146 or
“Workgroup with Shared Storage in an Avid Interplay Environment” on page 148.
AVID DS CONTROLLER
Indexes all DS projects and
media in workgroup
Avid DS RP workstation
Processes jobs for DS workgroup
CLIENT 1
CLIENT 2
Avid DS workstation
Avid DS workstation
PROJECT
DATA
PROJECT
DATA
Each workstation stores projects locally
MEDIA
MEDIA
DS CLIENT 1
workspace
DS CLIENT 2
workspace
Avid Unity
Avid shared storage
•
145
The Avid shared storage storage needs to have a workspace for each Avid DS client.
Within the workspace, set up the media folder, and set the necessary permissions.
•
shared video storage - \\Server_name\workspace_name\media
An RP workstation does not need a workspace since it processes directly to the Avid DS
client workspace. However, the RP workstation will need permission to access the
shared storage workspaces for each Avid DS workstation (for remote processing
requests).
The controller will also need permission to access the workspaces for each client.
Avid DS Controller
•
Set up a dedicated workstation to index the media for the entire workgroup. This will
require that you install the Avid DS Media Indexer.
•
The Avid DS Project Indexer should also be installed here. It will poll and index all
project folders on the Avid DS workstations in the workgroup.
•
Configure the media indexing service on the Controller to include the Avid DS
workspaces on the shared storage—see “Configuring your Storage Locations” on page
158.
Avid DS Client Workstations
For each Avid DS workstation in the workgroup:
•
Make sure you set the permissions on the root project folder so that it can be accessed
and indexed by the controller.
•
Configure a media indexing service with the client’s media workspaces on Avid shared
storage—see “Configuring your Storage Locations” on page 158.
•
Add the controller’s media indexing service to the Avid DS workstation’s media
indexing service. This will automatically give the Avid DS workstation access to all the
other workspaces on shared storage (if the necessary permissions have been granted).
For step-by-step details on the above-mentioned process—see “Checklist: Configuring Avid
DS on Avid Shared Storage” on page 156 or Checklist: Conforming Projects on Avid DS in
an Interplay Environment in the Avid DS Help.
Workgroup with Shared Projects and Storage
In cases where there is a large need to share projects and media between workstations, the
media storage can be centralized on an Avid shared storage. Set up your environment as
illustrated in the following figure, so that the Avid DS workstations can directly access
media that is created on other Avid editing systems, and stored on an Avid shared storage
workspace
You should also read the section on “Sharing Media” on page 151 as it provides important
recommendations on accessing and indexing your media in a workgroup.
146
If you are collaborating with other editing workstations in an Avid Interplay environment,
then refer to the scenario “Workgroup with Shared Storage in an Avid Interplay
Environment” on page 148.
AVID DS CONTROLLER
Indexes all DS projects and
media in workgroup
Avid DS RP workstation
PROJECT
DATA FOR
ALL AVID DS
WORKSTATIONS
CLIENT 1
CLIENT 2
Avid DS workstation
Avid DS workstation
Avid Unity
MEDIA
MEDIA
DS CLIENT 1
workspace
DS CLIENT 2
workspace
MEDIA
Media
Composer
workspace
Media Composer
workstation
MEDIA
Symphony
workspace
Symphony
workstation
Avid shared storage
•
The Avid shared storage needs to have a workspace for each Avid DS client. Within the
workspace, set up the media folder, and set the necessary permissions.
-
•
Shared video storage - \\Server_name\workspace_name\media
client workspace. However, the RP workstation does need permission to access the
workspaces for each Avid DS workstation (for remote processing requests).
The controller will also need permission to access the workspaces for each client.
147
•
Create workspaces where other Avid editing systems (Media Composer, Symphony) can
place media that will be shared with Avid DS (audio and video can be stored in the same
folder). This folder should only contain media that needs to be conformed and used by
Avid DS, as there is no need to index all the offline media on an Avid editing system.
-
Shared storage - \\Server_name\workspace_name\MXF
Avid DS Controller
•
•
project folders on the Avid DS workstations in the workgroup. Set the project root folder
on this workstation and set the permissions on this folder for access by all DS client
workstations.
•
workspaces on the shared storage storage—see “Configuring your Storage Locations”
on page 158.
•
When adding a project, make sure you create it on the controller (in the project root
folder).
•
Configure a media indexing service with the client’s audio/video workspaces on Avid
shared storage—see “Configuring your Storage Locations” on page 158.
•
Add the controller’s media indexing service to the Avid DS workstation’s media
indexing service. This will automatically give the Avid DS workstation access to all the
other workspaces on shared storage (if the necessary permissions have been granted).
For step-by-step details on the above-mentioned process—see “Checklist: Configuring Avid
DS on Avid Shared Storage” on page 156.
Workgroup with Shared Storage in an Avid Interplay Environment
If you will be collaborating with other editing workstations in an Interplay environment and
sharing media on an Avid shared storage, then the illustration below shows how the
individual workspaces need to be indexed so that media can be accessed quickly.
You should also read the section on “Sharing Media” on page 151 as it provides important
recommendations on accessing and indexing your media in a workgroup.
148
CONTROLLER WORKSTATION
REMOTE PROCESSING WORKSTATION
AVID UNITY
Avid DS Media Indexer
indexes DS workspaces
Media
Composer
workspace
Interplay Media Indexer
indexes workspaces for
Avid editing systems
DS CLIENT 1
workspace
DS CLIENT 2
workspace
BROKER WORKSTATION
Manages remote processing
jobs for DS workgroup
AVID DS WORKGROUP
Symphony
workspace
AVID INTERPLAY SERVER
Interplay
Access
workstation
CLIENT 2
Avid DS workstation
CLIENT 1
Avid DS workstation
AVID INTERPLAY
WORKGROUP
Symphony
workstation
Media Composer
workstation
Avid Shared Storage
•
The Avid shared storage needs to have a workspace for each Avid DS client. Within the
workspace, set up the media folder, and set the necessary permissions.
-
•
Shared video storage - \\Server_name\workspace_name\media
client workspace. However, the RP workstation does need permission to access the
shared storage workspaces for each Avid DS workstation (for remote processing
requests).
The controller will also need permission to access the shared storage workspaces for
each client.
•
Create workspaces where other Avid editing systems (Media Composer, Symphony) can
place media that will be shared with Avid DS (audio and video can be stored in the same
folder).
-
149
Shared storage - \\Server_name\workspace_name\MXF
Avid Interplay Media Indexer
The Interplay Media Indexer is installed on a dedicated server within the Interplay
environment. It only needs to index media for non-DS workstations. (The Avid DS Media
Indexer on the Controller will index media for the Avid DS workgroup).
•
Configure a media indexing service that contains the workspaces belonging to other
Avid editing systems (Media Composer, Symphony).
Avid DS Controller
•
•
project folders on the Avid DS workstations in the workgroup. Set the project root folder
on this workstation and set the permissions on this folder for access by all DS client
workstations.
•
workspaces on the shared storage—see “Configuring your Storage Locations” in the
Help for Avid DS.
•
When adding a project, make sure you create it on the controller (in the project root
folder).
•
Configure a media indexing service for the workstation:
Steps
Refer to
Add the client’s audio/video workspaces on Avid “Configuring your Storage Locations” in the
shared storage.
Help for Avid DS.
If the workstation also has media on
locally-connected storage, then add this storage to
the media indexing service.
Add the controller’s media indexing service to the “Accessing Storage on another Workstation”
Avid DS client’s media indexing service. This will in the Help for Avid DS.
automatically give the Avid DS workstation
access to all the other DS client workspaces on
shared storage (if the necessary permissions have
been granted).
150
Steps
Refer to
Add the Interplay media indexing service to the “Stopping and Starting your Avid Indexing
Avid DS client’s media indexing service. This will Services” in the Help for Avid DS.
automatically give the Avid DS workstation
access to all other Avid workspaces on shared
storage (if the necessary permissions have been
granted).
Sharing Media
Sharing media saves you time and disk space as you only have to capture the media once. If
other users in your workgroup want to use the media, they can simply import the sequence
or master clip into their project. The clips will then link directly to the associated media.
In a workgroup environment, the location of your media and projects can make a big
difference to your performance and processing times. For instance, if you are working in
isolation on a project, then having the related media on your local storage gives you
real-time playback of the sequences.
On the other hand, if you are working on the same project with other Avid DS workstations
that need access to the same media, then it would be more efficient to store the media in one
location. You save on storage space as there is no redundancy of media on each workstation.
n
When sharing media on storage areas connected on a network, there may not be sufficient
bandwidth to provide realtime playback of the media. If you are using an Avid shared
storage, it does have enough bandwidth to handle realtime playback.
If you are not getting realtime playback with the shared storage you are using, you can copy
the media to a local storage connected to your workstation.
Points to consider when sharing media:
151
•
One workstation, preferably the controller, should hold all projects and take care of the
indexing and processing services. The indexing service on the controller will be
configured to index media on all connected storages in the workgroup (including
workspaces on the shared storage).
•
If your workstations are sharing Avid storage, then each workstation using this storage
must have a fibre-optic cable connection to the Avid storage system for optimal
performance.
•
If many workstations are working on the same project and will be sharing the same
media, then place all media on one storage device.
Sharing Media
•
If you are sharing media on an Avid shared storage workspace, make sure that both the
offline and the online systems have access to the workspace.
Points to consider when sharing projects:
•
In a workgroup, a user can open a project from any Avid DS workstation in the
workgroup.
•
A project can only be opened by one user at a time.
•
If you need to work on a sequence within a project that is already open by another user,
you can import the sequence and link to media (so that you are still sharing the media).
This sequence can later be imported back into the original project.
The Avid DS Indexing Services
The Avid Media Indexer and the Avid Project Indexer manage your projects and media more
efficiently. These services actively monitor and index the storage areas that you’ve defined to
allow for improved performance, better sharing of media across a network, and better
interaction between Avid DS and an Avid DS RP (remote processing) workstation.
The Media Indexer can manage media of different formats, such as video, audio, source,
cache, .gen files (the native Avid DS format), .omf files (the native Symphony and Media
Composer format), and .mxf files (industry-standard format that encapsulates media and
production metadata into a single file).
Each workstation has its own media indexer which indexes the audio and video storage areas
on that workstation. The media indexing service on a workstation contains a list of storage
areas that the workstation requires. These storages are accessed and indexed in the order in
which they are listed.
152
Actual path to storage area
Workstation
Name
In a workgroup, the Project Indexer works with the media indexing service on each
workstation and keeps an up-to-date index of the location of all media. So, for example,
when the Purge command is executed from any workstation within the Avid DS workgroup,
the correct media for the selected project is purged.
Indexing Shared Storage on Avid Shared Storage
On Avid Unity and ISIS, the Avid Media Indexing Service does not retain its index table of
the media if the workstation hosting this service is rebooted. This is a known limitation.
When the workstation is restarted, the Avid DS Media Indexing Service automatically scans
and indexes all of the Avid DS-defined shared storage storages. The indexing will take the
time it needs to validate the many files and workspaces used for the Avid DS audio and
video media files.
n
The media remains online but the actual media verification occurs in the background to
validate the media table. This allows the editor to work but it still prevents basic media
management that depends on the Media Indexing Service, such as purging and archiving.
To avoid losing time while the media indexer rebuilds the index table, Avid strongly
recommends that the Media Indexer be installed on a standalone workstation such as the
Controller.
Furthermore, if you have to shut down this workstation, make sure you first stop the
indexing services manually to avoid corruption of the index table—see “Stopping and
Starting your Avid Indexing Services” in the Help for Avid DS.
153
Sharing Media
Sharing MXF Media
MXF (Material Exchange Format) is an industry-standard container format that encapsulates
media and production metadata into a single file. MXF is also a common file format for
direct media interchange among Avid applications, as well as with third-party
MXF-compliant products. MXF supports both standard-definition and high-definition
formats.
Avid DS can share HD projects and Avid DNxHD media with Media Composer HD-capable
systems. The MXF files need to be placed in a specific folder so that Avid DS users can
relink to them in a conform workflow.
n
For a list of shared DNxHD resolutions—see “Avid DNxHD Compressions” in the Help for
Avid DS.
If you are reading or writing MXF media for use only by Avid DS:
t
Create a MXF folder on your storage device using the Windows Explorer:
\\workstation_name\Avid MediaFiles\MXF
If you are sharing media with other Avid editing systems on an Avid shared storage:
t
Create the following shared storage workspace for MXF files that you are reading from
other systems:
\\Server_name\workspace_name\Avid MediaFiles\MXF
n
These folders should only contain media that needs to be conformed and used by Avid DS, as
there is no need to index all the offline media on an Avid editing system.
t
Create the following shared storage workspace for MXF files that Avid DS is creating
for use by other systems:
\\Server_name\DS_workspace_name\Avid MediaFiles\MXF
Make sure to use the correct syntax:
-
Include a space between Avid and MediaFiles
-
Don’t include a space for MediaFiles
-
Use the correct uppercase and lowercase letters.
Sharing OMFI Media
Avid editing applications can export an OMFI file that contains all the editing information
for the selected master clip or sequence along with the video and audio media files for that
master clip or sequence.
154
To create the OMFI folders:
t
If you are linking to OMFI media within Avid DS, create the following media folder on
your storage device using the Windows Explorer:
-
t
\\workstation_name\OMFI MediaFiles
If you are linking to OMFI media on an Avid shared storage, create the following
folders:
\\Server_name\workspace_name\OMFI MediaFiles
-
Include a space between OMFI and MediaFiles
-
Don’t include a space for MediaFiles
-
Use the correct uppercase and lowercase letters
Placing File-based Media on the Storage Device
High-resolution digital footage that comes either from digital video cameras, film scanning
processes or CGI applications (e.g. R3D, ARRI, DPX, TIF), should be placed onto a fast,
high-capacity storage device to which your workstation is connected. This allows you to link
to these source files and get real-time playback in Avid DS.
If this media is being shared with other Avid systems, you can place these master files on a
shared storage, and link to it.
n
For a list of storages that support real-time playback, refer to the Avid DS Support Center. If
you cannot get real-time playback on your storage, you should process the media.
If you are working with different types of high-resolution media (e.g. R3D, ARRI, DPX,
TIF), make sure that they are each placed in different folders.
t
For local storage. Place your high-resolution files in an appropriate folder under the
\VideoStorage or \MediaStorage folder on the storage device. For example,
\\workstation_name\VideoStorage\DPX\Casino\...
Or alternatively, create a specific DPX folder outside of the VideoStorage folder and add
this location in your Avid DS Media Storage Configuration tool as a Read-only storage.
This option allows you to quickly add or remove this file-based storage without
affecting media content from the VideoStorage folder.
t
For shared storage. Place the high-resolution files on a workspace on the Avid shared
storage. For example,
\\Server_name\workspace_name\Avid MediaFiles\DPX\Casino\...
n
155
If you are conforming with MXF media, then see .
Checklist: Configuring Avid DS on Avid Shared Storage
Checklist: Configuring Avid DS on Avid Shared
Storage
Each Avid DS workstation connected to Avid Unity MediaNetwork™ or Avid ISIS requires
its own workspace. This workspace is then added to the storage configuration in each
Avid DS workstation. For more information on configuring the workspaces and setting
permissions on the Avid shared storage, refer to the corresponding documentation.
n
A different configuration is required if you are working within an Avid Interplay
environment—refer to the Avid Editing on Interplay Workflow Guide.
Step
Refer to

Determine the best configuration for your workgroup.
“Planning your Storage Locations” in the
Help for Avid DS.

Install all Avid DS client workstations.
not install any Avid DS software components
c Do
(such as the indexing services) directly on Avid
shared storage.

Install the client software for the Avid shared storage on each
Avid DS workstation that is connected to Avid storage.
Avid shared storage documentation.

Install the latest updates for the Avid shared storage software
(if any).
Avid Download Center
www.avid.com/support/downloadcenter/
index.asp
Follow the online instructions to install this software update,
then reboot your workstation.

On the Avid shared storage, create a video workspace and an
audio workspace for each Avid DS workstation
(the RP workstation does not need a workspace).
Avid shared storage documentation.
Create a workspace for the video storage \\server_name\workspace_name\video
Create a workspace for the audio storage \\server_name\workspace_name\audio
156

Step
Refer to
If you need to share media with other Avid editing systems
(Media Composer, Symphony), create additional workspaces
where they can place media that will be shared with Avid DS
(audio and video can be stored in the same folder).
“Placing File-based Media on the
Storage Device” on page 155.
n
These folders should only contain media that needs to
be conformed and used by Avid DS, as there is no need
to index all the offline media on an Avid editing system.
When using Avid shared storage, you must ensure that an ISIS
or Unity account is created to match each account name that is
in the Avid DS workgroup. If the Avid DS user name is not in
the ISIS/Unity System Director accounts list, then media
access will be problematic on the Avid workspaces. The
storage spaces will either not work properly, or the Avid DS
clients will not able to get real-time playback on the storage.
To share MXF media, create the workspace using the
following convention:
\\server_name\workspace_name\Avid MediaFiles\MXF\
To share OMFI media, create the workspace using the
following convention:
\\server_name\workspace_name\OMFI MediaFiles
•
Include a space between OMFI and MediaFiles
•
Don’t include a space for MediaFiles.
•
Use the correct uppercase and lowercase letters.

Use the Administration Tool to assign the permissions on each Avid shared storage documentation.
workspace. If some workstations need to share media, you can
assign permissions for these workstations on the appropriate
workspaces. (You should also give the RP workstations
permission to each workspace).

Set up the Avid Connection Manager on each Avid DS
workstation to auto-launch.
The Connection Manager should always be left active on the
Avid DS workstations. This utility will automatically map
letters (or UNC paths in recent releases) and authenticate the
specific user accounts listed in the Avid shared storage engine.

157
Each client workstation needs to mount the required
workspaces.
“Mounting and Unmounting
Workspaces” on page 88.
Configuring your Storage Locations
Step

Refer to
In Avid DS, use the Storage Configuration tool to add a shared “Managing Avid DS Storage” on page
storage connection to your local indexing service.
144.
Important: Do NOT use a drive letter or mapped drive letter,
instead browse the network to the Avid shared storage server,
using only a UNC path to access your media folder on the
storage.
Once all the workstations in your Avid DS workgroup have been set up and installed with
the necessary software, you need to specify your storage areas so that they can be viewed or
shared by other clients in the workgroup. This configuration of storage areas is done through
the Media Storage Configuration tool in Avid DS. All storage areas are configured within
your workstation’s media indexing service.
Opening the Media Storage Configuration Tool outside Avid DS
Before you begin working on any projects, you must set up your storage. The Media Storage
Configuration tool can be accessed inside or outside Avid DS.
To open the media storage configuration tool outside Avid DS:
1. Double-click on the Avid DS Support Console icon on your desktop.
The support console and all the various tools are displayed.
2. Click UMMDTest.
3. Select File > Open Service.
A dialog box displays for you to enter the name of the workstation whose storage you
want to configure. If you are already on this workstation then leave the machine name
blank and click OK.
If you need to configure the storage for another workstation that is attached to this one
in a workgroup, then enter the name of that workstation.
n
Warning: There is no security when configuring another workstation’s storage in this way.
Therefore, make sure that no one else is using that workstation or they will automatically be
disconnected when you log in.
4. Select File > Configure.
The Media Storage Configuration dialog box displays any storage on the media
indexing services that may have been configured for your workstation.
158
Defining your Storage Areas within the Media Indexing Service
You must define all storage areas that you need to access inside a configuration called a
media indexing service. The Avid DS media indexer uses this service to scan all storages
configured within, and indexes the media for quick and efficient access.
You cannot leave the Avid DS local media indexing service list empty, otherwise Avid DS
will report missing audio or video storages every time you start the application. Add all
required storages and name them clearly.
To define your storage areas in the media indexing service:
1. If you have Avid DS running, select Data Management > Configure Storages.
The Media Storage Configuration dialog box displays the media indexing services that
have been configured for your workstation.
Your workstation’s media indexing service
is indicated by the computer name
2. Select your workstation’s media indexing service, and click the Change button.
The Media Indexing Service dialog box displays.
159
3. Leave the workstation name as it is and click the Change button.
The list of storage areas that have already been defined in this indexing service displays.
Each storage area is uniquely identified by the workstation name and folder where the
media resides.
Avid DS shared
storage name
Actual path to storage
4. To change the existing configuration, select a storage entry in the list, and click Change.
Skip to Step 8.
5. To add a new storage, click the Add button.
6. In the Available Storage Types dialog box, select Avid Media Storage and click OK.
7. Enter the full Windows path name (\\workstation_name\folder_name) where the storage
area is located, or use the browse (...) button to find it. For example,
\\DSStorage4\Video.
If you are connecting to a folder on an Avid shared storage, then click the browse (...)
button and locate the Avid shared storage workspace folder. For example,
\\Server_name\workspace\folder_name.
Do NOT use a drive letter.
160
8. If this storage is for sharing MXF media with another Avid editing system such as
Media Composer, then select Prevent purge of media on this storage. This
automatically makes the storage “read-only”.
9. Select the media type that you will store in this folder:
n
If there are different media types in your storage, you must add a storage configuration for
each different type (e.g. generic audio, generic video, MXF audio, MXF video, etc.)
For this storage folder
Select this option(s)
Video media imported or generated
media by Avid DS (read/write).
generic media
Media that is going to be read-only, but None
not overwritten. e.g. OMFI media that
will be used by other Avid editing
systems.
For MXF media: Folders that contain MXF media must be defined
separately within your media indexing service.
n
You need to set up MXF folders for Avid DS and any other
Avid editing systems—see “Sharing MXF Media” in the Avid
DS Help.
MXF (purgeable)
161
MXF files (.mxf)
For this storage folder
Select this option(s)
MXF (non-purgeable)
•
MXF files (.mxf)
•
Prevent purge of
media on this storage
10. From the Disk Controller Type list, select the card that is installed in your workstation.
11. From the Disk Storage Type list, select the storage type that you are using.
The disk options set the appropriate bandwidth for Avid DS to use when transferring
data to the storage. Choose the appropriate options for your storage device to obtain the
best performance for real-time effects.
n
If your storage device does not appear in the list, it may be because it was installed after
Avid DS was installed. If it is an Avid-certified device, restart Avid DS so that the software
detects the device and displays it in the list.
12. Click OK to return to the Media Storage Configuration list..
Avid DS shared
storage name
Storage areas will
be listed here as
they get added
13. Continue to add storage areas for all folders to which you need access.
If there are different media types in your storage, you must add a storage configuration
for each different type (e.g. generic audio, generic video, MXF audio, MXF video, etc.)
14. Storages are accessed and indexed in the order in which they are listed. Use the Move
Up or Move Down buttons to change the order of priority.
162
Avid DS shared
storage name
15. Click Close and then OK to return to the Media Storage Configuration - Workstation
dialog box.
16. Click the Close button to save the configuration for the media indexing service.
n
By default, the media indexer sets any new storage areas to automatically have full
read/write access by any user on the network. To restrict access to your media, you can
change the share permissions through Windows.
The first time that you configure your storage, the media indexer will need to index the
media on your storage device. This may take a while depending on the amount of media
on your storage.
17. Once your storages have been indexed, you should stop and restart the media
indexer—see “Stopping and Starting your Avid Indexing Services” in the Avid DS Help.
This step allows the creation of the media table content (server.umd file) which helps
speed up the media validation process after a system restart, and brings the media online
more quickly.
Accessing Storage on another Workstation
A media indexing service is defined for every Avid DS workstation in the workgroup. To
access media on another workstation, you need to add that workstation’s media indexing
service to your own storage configuration. (It is more efficient to connect to the media
indexing service on that workstation rather than directly to its storage area.)
n
163
When you import a sequence or clip from another project, Avid DS creates a connection to
the media even if it resides on another workstation. If the storage where this media resides is
not already configured on your workstation, Avid DS will automatically add a media
indexing service for that storage in your own workstation’s storage configuration.
The Avid DS media indexing service can also index media on other Avid editing systems
(Media Composer, Symphony). This media typically resides on a shared workspace. This
workspace should only contain media that needs to be conformed and used by Avid DS, as it
is extremely time-consuming to index all the offline media on an Avid editing system.
If your Avid editing systems are within an Interplay environment, you need to connect to the
Interplay media indexing service instead. The Avid Interplay media indexers manage the
media more efficiently for Media Composer and Symphony workspaces on shared
storage—see ”Workgroup with Shared Storage in an Avid Interplay Environment” in the
Avid DS help.
To access a media indexing service on another workstation:
1. Select Data Management > Configure Storages.
The Media Storage Configuration - Current Project dialog box is displayed with a list of
existing services.
Your workstation’s
media indexing
service
2. To add a new service, click the Add button.
The Available Storage Types dialog box is displayed.
164
3. Select Avid Media Indexing Service and click OK.
Avid DS scans the network for all workstations in your workgroup that are running
media indexing services.
4. Select the workstation whose media indexing service you need to access, and click
Change.
5. Click Close to accept this configuration.
The other workstation’s service configuration is now added to your storage
configuration.
165
media indexing
service
Other
workstation’s
media indexing
service
6. Click the Close button to exit the Media Storage Configuration - Current Project dialog
box.
To remove a media indexing service:
1. In the Media Storage Configuration - Current Project dialog box, select the service that
you want to delete.
2. Click the Remove button.
The indexing service is no longer defined for the current project.
3. Click the Close button.
Accessing Storage on Workstations in an Avid Interplay Environment
A media indexing service is defined for every workstation in an Interplay workgroup. The
media indexing service includes all storage folders that the workstation needs to access. To
access media created by other Avid editing systems within an Interplay environment, you
need to connect to that system’s local Interplay media indexing service, or to the media
indexing service for a group of Avid editing systems known as a High Availability Group
(HAG).
To access an Interplay media indexing service:
1. Select Data Management > Configure Storages.
The Media Storage Configuration - Current Project dialog box is displayed with a list of
existing services.
166
media indexing
service
2. To add a new service, click the Add button.
The Available Storage Types dialog box is displayed.
3. Select Avid Interplay Media Indexer and click OK.
A dialog opens for you to enter information about the Interplay media indexer to which
you need to connect.
167
4. Enter the name of the Avid Interplay workgroup where the media is located.
5. Enter the name of the Avid editing system whose local indexing service you need to
access,
or
the name of the HAG where the shared indexing service is located, and select the This is
the name of a High Availability Group (HAG) option.
6. Set the Disk Controller Type and Disk Storage Type.
7. Click Close to accept this configuration.
The Interplay media indexing service is now added to your storage configuration.
8. Click the Close button to exit the Media Storage Configuration - Current Project dialog
box.
To remove a media indexing service:
1. In the Media Storage Configuration - Current Project dialog box, select the service that
you want to delete.
2. Click the Remove button.
The indexing service is no longer defined for the current project.
3. Click the Close button.
168
Stopping and Starting your Avid Indexing Services
All media and project information, that is indexed on your workstation or in the Avid DS
workgroup, is kept in the system memory. This information is only saved to a file
(server.ummd for the Avid Media Indexer) when your system is shut down and the media
and project indexing service is stopped.
Therefore, it is good practice to stop and start your services at the end of the day so that the
indexing information is written to a permanent file. The media indexer needs to be stopped
on each Avid DS workstation.
To stop/start the indexing services:
1. Close the Avid DS application.
2. Click the Windows Start button, and select Control Panel.
3. Double-click Administrative Tools.
4. Double-click Computer Management.
5. Select Services and Applications > Services.
6. In the list on the right, right-click on Avid Media Indexer and select Stop*.
n
c
Stopping these services may take some time and even exceed the Windows allocated time. If
this happens, you will get a notification from Windows that the service could not be stopped.
Ignore this warning and click OK, then wait for the service to stop completely.
DO NOT SHUT DOWN OR RESTART the system until the service is fully stopped or
you will corrupt the table being saved. While saving, the services status appears as
Stopping. Refresh the window until the Status indicates that the service is indeed fully
stopped.
7. After the service has been stopped, right-click on it again, and select Start.
8. Once the services are started, close all open windows.
About your Local Storage Area
Your Avid DS workstation includes a tower base unit and a storage device (disk array). All
software, projects, and audio media are stored on the disk drive in the base unit, while the
video media is stored on the drives in the storage device.
169
External
Storage Device
Avid DS
Workstation
Storage Device
F: drive
Base unit
C: drive
Except for the (C:) system partition, the letters for the above drives are only suggestions.
Depending on the storage choices that were made when your workstation was installed,
several folders were created to hold various system files, project files, as well as media and
cache files.
Folder
Description
Location
\DS_v10.x
Contains the files required to run Avid DS.
C:\Program Files\Avid\DS_v10.x
\DS Archives
Contains information on archived projects.
C:\DS Archives
\DS Projects
Contains the projects, sequences, and clips
that you create in Avid DS.
C:\DS Projects\DS_v10.x
\MediaStorage Contains the media (both audio and video)
and cache files captured or processed in
Avid DS
n
F:\MediaStorage
This shared folder is new for Avid DS
10.5.
\VideoStorage Structure on pre-10.5 Avid DS systems.
F:\VideoStorage
Dedicated folder for the video media and
cache files captured or processed in Avid DS.
\AudioStorage Structure on pre-10.5 Avid DS systems.
D:\AudioStorage
Dedicated folder for the audio media and
cache files captured or processed in Avid DS.
170
The DS Archives Folder
The \DS Archives folder is used by Avid DS to keep track of archived projects. When you
archive a project, an archive log file is saved in this folder, so that you can later restore your
media. The archive log file also contains the Avid DS version number, so you know which
version you were using when the archive was created.
Video media is always archived to tape and an EDL is generated called ArchiveTape.log.
Only Avid DS can read this EDL during the restore process. If this file is missing from the
archived project folder, the media cannot be restored.
Archived audio media or archived audio cached media is stored in this folder. Under each
project archive folder, the audio (.wav) media files are stored in a folder called Archive
Media Files\audio, which contains each audio storage ID, labelled #1, #2, and so on.
When the project is restored, these folders are copied to their corresponding audio storages.
The DS Projects Folder
The \DS Projects folder must be shared (default at install). It contains the projects that you
create with Avid DS. Each time you create a new project, you are prompted to select a
location for the project folder. You must keep all your projects under the root \DS Projects
folder.
The project folder contains the clips and sequences associated with a project. Each project
folder also contains the \System folder.
171
n
Note the following:
•
Do not move, delete, or modify the contents of the \System folder.
•
Never manually move a project between Avid DS workstations. Use the Archive/Restore
feature of Avid DS instead.
•
Never duplicate a project within an Avid DS workgroup.
The \System folder contains the following information:
Source models: These data structures allow Avid DS to manage the relationship between
clips, sequences, and their media. Each time you capture media from a new source, Avid DS
creates a corresponding source model, which tracks the time span, quality, and location of
the different media files captured from that source. When you play back a clip from that
source, Avid DS consults the appropriate source model to locate the media.
DSprojectinfo: This file contains information about the project format and other project
preference settings. For more information on project preferences—see Creating a Project in
the Help.
The DSPresets Folder
The \DSPresets folder contains presets, which you can use to define effects, transitions,
graphics tools, and so on. The presets that are shipped with Avid DS are stored in this folder
by default.
Avid DS also creates a \DSPresets folder in each project folder. This lets you store user
presets that are specific to a particular project with that project. You can also specify, as part
of your user preferences, locations for your own and shared workgroup presets.
The VideoStorage and AudioStorage Folders
The \MediaStorage folder must be shared (default at install). It contains individual folders
for each project. Each folder contains the video and audio media, and cache files for that
project. Each folder's name is generated by the software and is based on a unique
identification string (called a GUID) that identifies each project.
Avid DS workstations prior to 10.5 had separate audio and video folders (\VideoStorage and
\AudioStorage).
n
Do not delete audio or video media files or folders using Windows Explorer. If you want to
delete a media file, use the Purge or Delete command in Avid DS. For more information on
deleting clips and/or purging media—see Managing Media and Projects in the Help.
172
The DSSystem Folder
The C:\Users\Public\Avid\DS_v10.x\DSSystem folder contains system files and several
folders used by Avid DS.
n
Folder
Description
\DSSystem\temp\
user_account_name
Contains the autosave files, viewer and test pattern bitmaps, some
critical Avid DS system files, RP jobs log, and the crash log. Before
modifying anything in this folder, contact Avid DS Customer Service.
The Autosave files are saved under C:\Users\”user id”\AppData\Local\Avid\DS_v10.x\temp
\AutoSave 1 ... AutoSave 4
Keep monitoring your sufficient disk space, otherwise the software and/or operating system
may cease to operate. After the installation, the drive must have over 20% of free space at all
times.
173
6 Editing High-Res Projects in Avid DS
As there are a number of different ways to work with high-resolution projects, it is
recommended that you first read “Avid File-Based Workflows” on page 17 and follow the
workflow that best meets your project requirements. You should also read the material in
“Color Management in Avid DS” on page 204 to better understand how and where the
“look” files (LUTs) are applied.
Depending on your system configuration, many high-resolution formats are playable in real
time—for a specific list of these formats, see the Avid DS support web at www.avid.com.
When editing high-resolution projects where real-time playback is not achievable, you can
use the proxy mode to apply effects and view the results in either HD 4:2:2 or HD 4:4:4.
Opening an HD or Film Project in Avid DS
Avid DS can work with HD and 2K/4K files, including a large number of sequence formats
for various film resolutions and aspect ratios.
To set your project settings accurately when you open a project in Avid DS, you must gather
the following information from either the film-scanning facility, the camera operator, or the
production director:
•
n
The original film format of your media (e.g. 1080, RED, Full Aperture, DPX, Cineon).
There are some third-party applications available on the Internet that can read the
properties of high-resolution files (i.e. DPX, R3D, TIF) to give you the exact frame
dimensions.
•
The quality at which your film master was scanned or transferred. The most popular is
the 10-bit format and the most frequently used resolution is 2K.
•
The frame rate (fps) at which your film master was scanned or transferred. When
conforming sequences in Avid DS, make sure you create a project with the same frame
rate that was used for the offline.
•
The format required for final delivery.
•
A corresponding LUT for your footage. This will be required for proper color
management of your media when you import it into Avid DS.
To create a film-based project:
1. In the Open Project dialog box that displays when you start Avid DS, click the New
Project button.
The New Project dialog box displays. You can click the Help button at any time to get a
full description of all the parameters in this dialog box.
2. Enter a Project Name.
3. Keep the default project Location as this is where all your Avid DS projects reside.
4. There are a number of film resolutions and apertures for HD or film that you can choose
from.
Select the specific film Format at which your material was acquired. The menu options
are as follows—Media Format > Resolution > Frame rate.
For example:
FILM > RED > 2:1 (2K) > 23.97 frames/s
HD RGB 4:4:4 > 1080i > 59.94 fields/s
If you are going to output your project at a different resolution then what it was
originally shot at, then you can set the project with the new output format. Note
however, that if your media format is not the same as your sequence format, your media
will not be playable in realtime in Avid DS until you process your sequence.
5. When you select the format, the frame details are set automatically.
Verify that the Frame Size is showing the correct dimensions. If not, you will need to
choose another Format.
175
Opening an HD or Film Project in Avid DS
6. Select the LUT depending on the delivery format of this sequence.
For example, if the material you are editing and finishing is for HD Television, then the
Sequence LUT will be ITU 601/709.
If you are working with media from only one source and been provided a specific LUT
file for this media, you can import it now—see “Importing External LUTs” on page 215.
If you will be using media from different sources, then we recommend that you select
the LUT that is most appropriate for the final output.
7. For the Storage Settings:
t
Set the Resolution for capturing/linking video media to Full.
t
Set the Color Space to RGB 4:4:4.
176
n
Work in 4:4:4 color space whenever possible. If you need to deliver your final master in
4:2:2, the sequence can be downconverted at time of output.
t
Set the Bit Depth to 10-bits. This is typically the format at which film is scanned.
8. Select Use the closest media available, to allow Avid DS to display media of mixed
resolutions and frame rates in your sequence.
9. Set the Processing Precision to a bit-depth that will give you the best quality for your
processed effects. To preserve the quality of the bit-depth of 10-bit material, choose
16-bits. For more information on bit depth, see “Bit Depth” in the Avid DS Help.
If you selected the ITU 601/709 LUT, then select the 32 Bits float option for Processing.
This ensures that the LUT can be reversed transparently so that you can view your
media without your LUT if necessary.
c
Although Avid DS can support higher bit depths during processing, the caches may be
stored at a lower bit depth depending on your resolution and color space settings. Note
that, using a higher precision bit depth generates smoother effects during processing,
and still produces better quality output for lower bit depth outputs. Optionally, you
could set the Precision bit depth to the same setting as the Storage bit-depth. Then, if
you want to process a specific effect at a higher-quality bit depth, you can change the
Precision bit depth within the Processing dialog box, or in the Options property page of
the effect.
10. For the Audio Settings, set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth at which you will output your
audio media.
11. Leave the conversion settings at default.
12. Click OK to save project preferences.
Avid DS displays the timeline where you can now begin working on a sequence.
A project folder is created under the location specified earlier. This is where all your
sequences will reside.
Linking to High-Resolution Files
By creating links to media files, you can work with media files without having to capture
them to your local storage. These files, called linked clips, can reside on any connected
storage location until you’re ready to output your sequence.
Some projects may require you to work with images at varying resolutions (sizes). When
you capture these files, you must convert the material to the working resolution of the
current sequence. By linking to the material instead, you can keep the material at its original
177
Linking to High-Resolution Files
resolution regardless of the sequence’s frame size. Once you have completed your edits, you
can process the linked material, which creates a cache file of the image area that is visible in
the viewer.
Linking clips is also useful when more than one person needs access to the same file. You
can capture the file as a linked clip, drop it into your sequence, and continue to use it as a
reference while another person continues to work on the source media file. Changes made to
the original file automatically appear in the linked clip, both in the Avid Explorer and on the
timeline. You can also use the Copy-Link function to make a copy of the original media and
then link to it—see “Copying and Linking Media” in the Help for Avid DS.
n
If another person tries to modify a file that is linked to a clip in an open project, they will not
be able to save that file due to a sharing violation. You must close the project that contains
the linked clip for them to be able to save the original file.
Once you are ready to output the sequence, simply process the clip on the timeline. If you
process the material, a cache file is created. Once a cache is created, Avid DS no longer
refers to the source media file, but uses this cache file during playback. Any further changes
to the source file do not appear in the linked clip on the timeline. Like any other cache
however, the cache for the linked clip can be purged, which relinks the clip to the source file.
n
If the original file is removed from its location, you will receive a “Media not available”
message when you playback the portion of the sequence that uses that clip.
•
If you are conforming a sequence—see .
•
If you are building a new sequence in Avid DS—see “Creating Linked Clips” in the
online help.
Aligning your DPX Files
If Avid DS gives you a message that your DPX files cannot be read, it may be due to
misaligned sectors in the DPX files. This can easily be realigned using the FixDPX utility.
To align your DPX files:
1. If the sequence using the DPX files is currently open, exit Avid DS, or switch to another
project.
2. Click the Start button and select Programs > Avid Products > Avid DS > Tools >
FixDPX.
3. In the FixDPX dialog, click the File... button to browse for a specific file that you want
to fix.
If you want to fix several files, then click the Folder... button to select the folder name.
4. Click Fix it! to begin.
178
The FixDPX utility will display a summary of the files that were or were not fixed.
5. Click Done to exit.
Capturing High Resolution Media from Tape
HDCAM-SR is commonly used for HDTV television production. However, HD resolutions
are now also used more and more for film work, especially in 4:4:4 RGB color space. The
4:4:4 refers to an encoding technique that holds onto all of the image's red, green, and blue
color data for superior color fidelity, unlike the traditional 4:2:2 YUV mode, which discards
half of the color data. Although this method does not support resolutions as high as
film-scanned DPX files (2K, 4K), HDCAM-SR does allow for fairly high quality resolution
(upto 1920 x 1080 HD), and with the latest digital film cameras, material can also be shot
directly in RGB 4:4:4. Also, Telecines now perform high-quality transfer directly to HD in
real-time, which is much faster and economical than a typical film scanner.
To ensure the highest quality of the master tape, transfer your film reel to HD format in
4:4:4, which offers the best uncompressed color quality currently available on video. The
film should also be transferred as 16:9 so that the conform process will not only be
frame-accurate, but also pixel-accurate in the sense that the effects will match the same
aspect ratio (titles, shapes, etc.).
When working in HD, you can capture all the media and edit directly in Avid DS.
Alternatively, you can do your offline editing in Avid Media Composer, and conform and
finish your project in Avid DS. For this workflow, see “Conforming HD Video Sequences”
in the Help for Avid DS.
Capturing Film Footage from File
You can capture digital film types such as DPX and R3D files.
If the series of digital files were provided by a film scanning facility, use the accompanying
LUT file that was applied during the transfer as the Masterclip LUT.
When capturing this media, you will need to use the LUT from the digital film camera or
one that was provided to you from the film transfer facility. This LUT known as the
Masterclip LUT, needs to be imported when you set the capture settings. If you do not have
a masterclip LUT, the sequence LUT that you selected when you opened your
project/sequence will be used by default.
179
Viewing High-Resolution Sequences
To capture film-based media from file:
1. Right-click the file(s) that want to capture and select Capture Settings.
2. Set the appropriate options—see “Video Capture Settings” in the Help for Avid DS.
3. Right-click the file(s) and select Capture.
The dialog box that opens depends on the type of file that you are capturing.
-
DPX files—see “DPX Import Dialog Box” in the Help for Avid DS.
-
R3D files—see “RED Import Dialog Box”in the Help for Avid DS.
4. Set your masterclip LUT by doing one of the following:
To import a LUT that was provided with See “Importing External LUTs” on page 215.
your media
To use a industry-standard LUT provided Select the appropriate LUT from the drop-down list.
by Avid DS
For DPX, you can use the ITU 601/709 LUT. For
R3D, you can use the RED LOG LUT.
Choose a standard camera LUT or create Select From File from the LUT Creation drop-down
a custom LUT.
list, and click the Create LUT button.
Browse to the /DS_v10.x/Luts/Lut presets folder
and select the appropriate camera LUT—see .
5. Click OK.
As the material is captured, the clips appear in the target bin.
Avid DS allows you to playback SD and HD sequences in realtime in the Avid DS viewer or
on an external monitor. When working with sequences that are higher than HD resolution,
your system may not have sufficient bandwidth to output to an external monitor. In such a
case, you have two options:
•
Use the Realtime Proxy mode: Avid DS converts the sequence format to a lower-sized
HD resolution that still provides excellent visual quality for editing and previewing your
sequence in a video monitor. For more details, see “Film Proxy Mode” on page 183.
•
Use the Graphics-link mode: You can redirect your output through the graphics card to a
second computer monitor. Even with high-resolution 2K sequences, Avid DS is capable
of 10-bit 4:4:4 RGB color-managed display on either a computer monitor, or an external
monitor—see “Using Avid DS Graphics-Link with an External Monitor” on page 181.
180
n
Only NVIDIA graphics cards with sufficient memory support this mode. For details on which
cards are supported, see the Avid DS support website at www.avid.com.
Using Avid DS Graphics-Link with an External Monitor
If your Avid DS system is equiped with an appropriate NVIDIA graphics cards (refer to the
Avid DS Support Center) you will be given the option to play back high-resolution
sequences (HD or higher) on an external monitor. Using the GPU processor and the second
output of the graphics card, Avid DS is capable of 10-bit 4:4:4 RGB color-managed display
on either a computer monitor, or an external monitor such as DreamColor, Cine-tal or Barco.
To use the graphics card for output, you need to use Avid DS Graphics-Link (This
application is available via an icon on your desktop). Avid DS Dual-Link and Avid DS
Graphics-Link cannot be run at the same time. To change between these different modes,
Avid DS must be closed and re-opened in the desired mode of operation.
To use the Avid DS Graphics-Link option:
1. Save your sequence and close Avid DS Dual-Link.
2. Open Avid DS (Graphics-Link) from the desktop.
n
While using Avid DS in the Graphics-Link (GL) mode, the dual-link card will still be used for
audio playback, but all forms of capture will be disabled (even if the capture tool is
available).
When viewing images on the external monitor, the sequence format is always
maintained, regardless of the size of the connected monitor. Therefore, if the resolution
of your monitor is smaller than the sequence resolution, the output will be reformatted
in real time to fit the monitor’s aspect ratio. For SD formats, the picture will not be
upscaled and will display in the center of the screen.
The output settings can be changed via the Sequence Preferences dialog with the choice
of None (Centers the image), 1080p padding (pad around the sides), or 1080p
CenterCrop (do a center crop).
n
If your workstation has the supported hardware, sufficient memory and processing power,
you may be able to view your high-resolution sequences in realtime.
You can also analyse the pixels in your image using the waveform monitor and
histogram options on the secondary monitor view using the GL mode.
181
To display the waveform monitor or histogram on the secondary monitor:
1. Move your mouse over to the secondary monitor view and click on it.
This viewer is now in focus and you can use the following keys on the main area of the
keyboard:
To
Press
Enable/disable the waveform monitor
S
Show RGB value of each pixel
X (for row)
C (for column)
When viewing colors in the waveform monitor, use the mouse to point
and click on the area of the image that you want to analyse. The
coordinates of the pixel and the RGB values will be displayed in the
bottom left corner [x, y, R, G, B].
Enable/disable the Histogram
H
View a histogram of individual Red, Green or Blue channel
R, G or B
When viewing colors in the histogram, the black and white level limits
are set according to the sequence format. These are indicated by the
two vertical lines on the left and right of your screen. The minimum
and maximum range values are also indicated next to these lines.
Change color of the lines in the histogram display
[ or ]
Lighten or darken the lines in the waveform monitor/histogram display + or -
2. To return the focus to your Avid DS Viewer on the primary monitor, move your mouse
over to the viewer and click on it.
Real-Time Playback for High-Res Media
Linked files will be real-time for DPX and R3D formats if:
•
The resolution of the high-res files are supported for realtime playback on your system
configuration—see the Avid DS support website at www.avid.com.
•
The high-res files are on your local videostorage that is large and fast enough to support
high throughput.
•
The format of the high-res files exactly match the format of the current sequence.
182
•
The current sequence storage bit-depth is set to 10.
•
For DPX. The data in the DPX files are correctly aligned. This should almost always be
the case. If not, the FixDPX utility can fix any misaligned data DPX files—see
“Aligning your DPX Files” on page 178.
Film Proxy Mode
When editing high-resolution sequences (higher than HD), you have a choice of displaying
and processing either in full resolution or real-time proxy resolution. The proxy is a
lower-sized HD resolution that provides excellent visual quality for editing and previewing
your sequence in a video monitor.
With proxy resolution, the correct aspect ratio is preserved in the Avid DS viewer as well as
in the external HD monitor. Even an SD monitor can be used when working with 23.97,
29.97 and 25-fps sequences. In addition, color space is automatically taken into account by
Avid DS to make the use of these proxies as transparent as possible.
n
When working in full resolution, the results of the processing can only be seen in the Avid DS
viewer, as the external monitor is disabled. If your system has a graphics card that supports
high-resolution formats, you can redirect your output to the external monitor—see “Using
Avid DS Graphics-Link with an External Monitor” on page 181.
To work more quickly and efficiently, you can apply effects in the lower, real-time proxy
resolution. In this mode, real-time effects do not need to be processed. If any effects do
require processing, the resulting caches are also generated in real-time proxy resolution to
save disk space.
n
If any effects were previously processed in full resolution, then Avid DS will use these caches
instead of the proxy 4:2:2 caches.
When you are ready to output your final sequence, you can switch back to full resolution to
process your effects. Processing in full resolution has the advantage of highly accurate
processing using 4:4:4 RGB values.
When working in film proxy mode, note the following:
183
•
You can work in either RGB 4:4:4 or YUV 4:2:2 color space. If you are applying effects
that modify color, and you are outputting to RGB 4:4:4, then set the Color Space to
4:4:4.
•
Proxy modes are determined by the type of sequence in which you are working. For
example, when working with R3D files, the RGB 4:4:4 film proxy mode is used.
Film Proxy Mode
•
You cannot enable viewer LUTs in YUV 4:2:2. However, you can use the LUTs effects
on the Timeline as an effect. Do note that if you are using it to make color modifications,
it is a good idea to work in a 4:4:4 proxy mode for an accurate color display.
•
When in a shared collaborative environment using an AvidUnity/Avid ISIS, the Avid
DNxHD proxies can easily be shared between Avid Media Composer HD and Avid DS
systems. Avid DNxHD compression ratios are also available to you when you use proxy
mode. For a description of these ratios—see “Avid DNxHD Compressions” in the Help
for the Media Composer family.
Enabling Film Proxy Mode
Real-time proxy mode is only available on an Avid DS workstation that has the appropriate
hardware. Otherwise, you can work in Full resolution which still gives you real-time
playback of your media in the viewer, but not the external monitor.
To set your sequence preferences to work in proxy mode:
1. Select File > Sequence Preferences.
2. Set the Resolution to Real-time Proxy so that you can edit and add effects in real-time.
3. On Avid DS workstation, you can change the Compression to one of the Avid DNxHD
compression formats.
This will save you space on your storage device while you are editing your sequence.
4. Set Downconversion of HD/SD output to the appropriate setting so that you can feed
your output to an external monitor and view the results.
In the Avid DS viewer, the real-time proxy mode compensates for change in aspect
ratio. For the external monitor output, you have the flexibility to either see a cropped
version of the frames, or a centered and padded version. Internally, Avid DS still holds
the entire frame.
5. Click OK to set the preferences.
Editing and Applying Effects in Film Proxy Mode
To work more quickly and efficiently, you can apply effects in the lower, real-time proxy
resolution without having to process real-time effects do not need to be processed. If any
effects do require processing, the resulting caches are also generated in real-time proxy
resolution to save disk space. If any effects were previously processed in full resolution
before the switch to the proxy mode, Avid DS will use these caches.
When you are ready to output your final sequence, you can switch back to full resolution to
process your effects.
184
To edit and apply effects in proxy mode:
1. Load your sequence or clips onto the timeline.
n
If you cannot get realtime playback for your media, you can process your timeline. This
generates media on your local storage based on the format of your sequence.
2. Perform the necessary edits, color correction, and addition of effects to your sequence.
While applying effects such as Keyers or creating mattes, toggle between Proxy and full
resolution modes by clicking the button with the green dot above the viewer.
3. If are applying a LUTs effect on the Timeline—see “Applying a LUT Effect” on
page 217.
4. Switch back to full resolution mode and process the effects—see “Processing Effects”
in the Help for Avid DS.
5. When ready to output, see “Outputting Film Sequences” on page 185.
Outputting Film Sequences
Avid DS supports output mastering of film-based projects to any of the original transfer
formats.
You can output the film sequence to tape or to a digital file format such as Cineon or DPX.
The delivery depends on how the output will be displayed. For example, for HD TV
broadcast, you should output the final sequence to tape.
By default, the Sequence LUT is used when outputting to tape or to file. This ensures that
the color information used when editing and applying effects in your sequence remains the
same during output.
Ouputting to Multiple Formats
Outputting your sequence to multiple formats is known as Universal Mastering. If you are
working in an HD sequence, you can easily deliver the same sequence to multiple formats
such as film or NTSC formats. In the case of a film output, it is possible to output a final
series of film-resolution images (2-4 K) for a film recorder.
To deliver to multiple formats:
1. Save the sequence after you are finished editing and applying special effects.
2. Create a new sequence making sure that you are using the same frame rate as the
sequence you just saved.
3. In Avid DS, select the sequence and drag it on the timeline.
185
4. Output the sequence using the applicable settings.
Outputting DPX Files
In the case of a film output, it is possible to output a final series of DPX images for film
recorder compatibility. All color information from the sequence LUT is also encoded within
the DPX files.
To output a sequence to DPX or Cineon files:
1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Output Tool.
2. Select the material to output. You can choose the entire timeline or specific in/out
timecodes.
3. Click the To File button.
4. For File Type, select the file format which you want to export (DPX or Cineon).
The DPX Export dialog box opens.
5. For the LUT, Avid DS will use the Sequence LUT that was set when the sequence was
created. You may change this if necessary.
6. If you want to save a timecode on each frame in the file, select Export Timecode, and set
the appropriate timecode start time.
186
7. Click OK to save the settings.
8. In the Output Tool window, keep the Output Resolution at the defaults.
9. For the Output Options, select the appropriate Codec (if applicable).
10. Select the Preserve Alpha option if the sequence includes an alpha channel that you
want to keep in the output file.
This is useful if you plan to reuse the matte information in future compositing or
graphics projects. However, not all file formats support alpha channels.
11. To resize your file, select Use Advanced Settings.
Click the Help button for more information on the parameters in this dialog.
12. Click the Output button to begin the export.
13. Select a folder in which to save your material, enter a name for the file, and click Save.
The material is processed, if necessary, exported to file, and placed in the selected
folder.
14. Close the Output Tool dialog box.
187
Linking Back to MXF Media on the Avid Offline Editing System
You can share MXF master clips captured or generated on Avid DS with other Avid editing
systems. For HD media, you can share MXF DNxHD media only with other Avid systems
that support it. To make this media available for use by Avid offline editing systems, you
need to set up your storage areas accordingly.
To share MXF master clips created on Avid DS, follow this basic workflow:
1. Make sure any storage devices or Avid Unity workspaces are configured correctly.
2. On the Avid DS system:
a.
n
Create a project. In the New Sequence dialog box, select the proper capture settings:
MXF storages (one for audio and one for video), desired compression, and so on.
MXF storage can be shared (in an Avid Unity environment) or local (and later
transferred).
If you are going to capture audio from a multi-stream file, make sure to select the option
“Import audio into separate audio tracks” in the New Sequence dialog box.
b.
Capture and edit the media.
c.
Export an AAF file—see “Outputting a Sequence to Avid Media Composer” in the
Help for Avid DS.
3. If your media is not on a shared Unity storage, you will need to transfer media to the
Avid editing system. Do one of the following:
-
If you are transferring media over a network, copy the MXF audio storage and the
MXF video storage to the local drive.
-
If you are transferring media on a removable drive, connect the drive.
4. On the Avid editing system, open a project with a matching frame rate.
5. Import one or more AAF files.
The Avid editing system creates a master clip for each AAF file.
6. Select the new master clips and select Clip > Relink.
The Relink dialog box opens.
7. Deselect the option Relink only to media from the current project, accept the other
defaults, and click OK.
The master clips are relinked with the MXF media.
188
n
You can use the Media Tool to create master clips, but this method does not always work, for
example, when a clip from Avid DS includes alpha.
Media Composer Macintosh systems, and other Macintosh-based Avid editors, cannot use
MXF media created by Avid DS, due to a 31-character file name limit. This situation occurs
when an Avid DS system creates a storage on a Unity volume to share with other Avid
editing systems. This problem does not affect Windows systems.
189
7 Conforming with AAF/AFE Files
Avid DS cannot directly open projects from Media Composer or other Avid editing
applications. To transfer bins, clips, or sequences to Avid DS, you must use an intermediate
file format such as Advanced File Exchange (AFE) or Advanced Authoring Format (AAF).
You need the AAF or AFE file for the online session.
AAF files can have only a single sequence, while AFE files can contain more than one bin or
sequence. You can use either format when transferring media outputs from Media Composer
to Avid DS.
Importing AFE/AAF Files
To finish a sequence from another editing system in Avid DS, you need to import it from an
AFE or AAF file.
AFE (Avid File Exchange), is the preferred method of conforming sequences created on
Avid Media Composer as it offers the highest level of conform capability. AFEs have the
entire bin contents, whereas AAFs contain only specific sequences and their associated
clips.
When importing audio from an Avid Pro Tools editing system, however, AAF is a more
comprehensive standard of exchange.
To import an AFE file:
1. Open a new project in Avid DS in the format in which you intend to output your final
sequence. Make sure the frame rate matches the project you are conforming from the
offline system.
2. You have a few options for importing your projects and media:
Option
Action
Media that was used by clips on Media
Composer is on a shared storage that
Avid DS can access for relinking.
Make sure that you have access to the folders where the
project files (AFE, EDL, ALE) and media are located on
the Media Composer system.
Option
Action
Media that was used by clips on Media
Composer is transferred to the Avid DS
system.
Copy the media and other project files that you may
require (e.g. AFE, EDL, ALE,) to the local project folder
that was established when you created your project in
Avid DS.
The media must be copied to a storage
area that is managed by Avid DS. During e.g. C:\DS Projects\DS v.x\Casino\...
the AFE import process, you will be able
to redirect Avid DS to this new path so
that the clips can automatically relink.
n
If you are sharing MXF media, then it must be placed in a specific Avid MediaFiles
folder—see .
3. In Avid DS, navigate to the folder where you placed the offline project files, and
double-click the AFE/AAF.
The clips, sequences used in the offline will display in the lower area of the screen. If
you are importing an AFE, then the bin will display. Simply double-click on the icon to
reveal the clips and sequences.
191
Conforming with the Same Media
4. To continue with the conform process, follow the procedure below that best describes
the media that you intend to use.
n
If your sequence contains several types of media, you will have to conform it once per type
of media, and replace them manually on the final sequence.
Conform Scenario
Go to
Conform with the same media that was
originally linked via AMA on Media
Composer/Symphony (R3D, XDCAM)
“Conforming with the Same Media” on page 192.
Conform with media from alternate sources
(i.e. original files such as DPX, ARRI)
“Conforming with Media from Alternate
Sources” on page 194.
Conform with MXF media
captured/generated by the offline editing
system.
“Conforming with MXF Media Generated by an
Offline System” on page 198.
Conforming with the Same Media
If media was linked by AMA during the Media Composer offline editing session, these links
will be preserved when you export the AFE/AAF, so that you can relink to the same media
with Avid DS.
If you are using a shared storage area, simply make sure that Avid DS has access to this
media. If you have transferred media from the Media Composer system to a different
location so that it can be accessed by Avid DS, you must enter the new path in the Default
Files Path.
n
MXF files must be placed in a specific Avid MediaFiles folder—see .
192
To link to the same media used via AMA:
1. Make sure that you have loaded your AFE/AAF into Avid DS as described in
“Importing AFE/AAF Files” on page 190.
The contents can include master clips, subclips, and sequences. For a description of
Avid editing system icons, see “AAF/AFE List” in the Help.
The columns displayed in the bin view can show all the metadata within an AFE file
(select Details view). You can show or hide selected columns, as described in
“Customizing the Details and Script Views” in the Help.
2. Select Link.
By default, these linked clips will be created in a folder with the same name as the bin
that was opened.
3. To recreate the master clips in Avid DS, you should always select Create Master Clips,
and select the folder where you want to place the master clips in Timeline Drop:
Master Clip Location.
193
Conforming with Media from Alternate Sources
This creates master clips in the Avid Explorer so that you always have the masters in
case any clips from the timeline are deleted. You do not need to select this option if you
already created master clips and you want to avoid creating a duplicate set. (Duplicate
clips are numbered sequentially beginning with 001.)
Select Lock Path to keep the same folder for any new master clips. Deselect this option
if you want to create subfolders that match the names of the imported bins. This allows
you to keep the original structure for your bins and clips as it was in Media Composer.
4. Do NOT select Force Creation of External Tape Sources and Use Alternate Video
Sources.
5. If you are linking to a storage shared by the Media Composer system, Avid DS will use
the same path specified in the AFE/AAF.
If you have transferred media from the Media Composer system to a location where it
can be accessed by Avid DS, you must enter the new path in Default Files Path.
Avid DS will use this path instead of the location specified in the AFE/AAF.
6. Select a sequence, and drop it onto the timeline.
The conform begins and a progress bar displays during the process.
The clips and associated media will display in the timeline. In the Avid Explorer, the
folder for your master clips will show these clips with a red underline to indicated that
they are linked.
If any errors were detected during the conform process, a message box displays a
summary of the information contained in the AAF/AFE Conform Log and asks if you
want to view the log.
7. All clips should automatically relink to the source media.
Depending on the your storage type, you may or may not be able to playback the media
in real-time.
To confirm this, go to the project folder, and open the bin where the clips were created.
-
Clips that are linked will have a red underline.
-
Clips without media will have a full red icon. To find the missing media, see
“Relinking Missing Clips” on page 200.
This scenario applies to media that transcoded to proxy resolutions (MXF) by Media
Composer, MetaFuze or a third-party application. The clips created during the AFE/AAF
import will reference the MXF media, however, in Avid DS, you can simply point the
conformed sequences to an alternate media source so that you can link to or recapture the
original high-res media (e.g. DPX, Cineon, ARRI) for finishing.
194
The clips must have timecode/edgecode and tape name information that matches with the
same information found in the alternate sources scanned by Avid DS.
To link to alternate media sources:
The columns displayed in the bin view can show all the metadata within the AFE file
2. Select Link and Use Alternate Video Sources.
3. Click Configure.
The Choose Alternate Video Sources dialog opens so that you can select the
high-resolution files to which you want to link.
4. In the Choose Alternate Video Sources dialog, select Quick browse.
5. Click Select Root Folder and browse to the folder where the original media is located.
195
6. Select the folder that needs to be scanned and click Select.
Click Select again if Windows prompts you with subfolders. You do not need to select a
subfolder as all folders under the folder you select will also be scanned.
7. (Optional) If you want to use an ALE to make the relationship between the
corresponding AFE/AAF/EDL timecode/KeyKode edits, click the option for Select
ALE File, and browse to the folder where the ALE file is located.
8. (Optional) If you are using media that has an associated “look” or LUT file holding
additional color information (e.g. .RLX, .RSX, .RMD), then select the Look options:
Use Look from AAF/AFE/ALE.
Media type
File Location
DPX/Cineon
All associated LUTs must be placed in the LUT folder under your project
folder. The AFE contains the name for the LUT associated to each DPX
file.
RED
If a look file (RLX/RSX/RMD) is associated with a clip in the AFE/AAF,
it will be used as the primary source of settings. (The name of the look
file does not have to match the name of the R3D file.)
For RSX or RMD files. If the name matches the source, then place it in the
same folder as the R3D files. They will be used when you begin the scan.
If both RMD and RSX files of the same name are present, then the RMD
file will be given preference.
For RLX files. Place them in the RLX folder under your project folder.
196
Media type
File Location
ARRI
XML files are located in the LUT or XML folder in the path where Avid
DS is installed. (This folder was created when the ARRI plug-in was
installed.)
9. Click Scan.
The folder is scanned, collecting the metadata that it contains, to display the timecode
and/or KeyKode associated to each file referenced in the EDL/AFE/AAF.
When you scan your files, Avid DS retrieves the metadata in the files (i.e. timecode,
KeyKode, tapename) and does the following:
If...
Then...
The DPX files contain the tape source
information (i.e. tape name and
timecode)
A direct association is made between the file’s
timecode/tapename, and the edited sequence’s
timecodes/tapenames.
The DPX files only contain timecodes
An association is made with the file’s
timecodes, and the folder in which the file is
located is used as the “tape name”.
The DPX files only contain film source In this case, you must also specify an ALE file
info (i.e. KeyKode), or you want the
to allow Avid DS to create the association
KeyKode rather than the timecode
between the scanned file’s KeyKode, and the
edited sequence’s timecodes/tapenames. (The
ALE can come from the film house,
MetaFuze or Avid Media Composer).
A User Settings dialog box opens and the first scanned file is displayed in the viewer.
The settings you choose here will be applied to all sequential files imported. These
settings can be overridden. For more information on the options in this dialog box, click
Help.
10. Click OK to close the Import dialog box.
The list of files found will be displayed.
11. Click OK to close the Choose Alternate Video Sources dialog box.
197
Conforming with MXF Media Generated by an Offline System
Avid DS can only conform media of one type at a time. If you have selected a root folder
than contains more than one type of media, you will be prompted to select the media
type. The following are the choice of files that you can conform:
Media Type
Description
R3D (RSX/Metadata) Parameters in the R3D file may be overidden if different values are
found in a corresponding RMD/RSX file. The RMD/RSX file is only
used if it has the same name as the R3D file. If both an RMD and an
RSX file exist, then preference is given to the RMD file. (RSX uses
Color Science 1, and RMD uses Color Science 2).
If you prefer to use your own Custom settings, then you can set specific
parameters that you want to override for any previously applied settings.
Finally, you can link to a LUT file to override specific parameters that
have already been set in the above process.
R3D (Custom)
Conform RED media using settings of your choice. In this case, a RED
property editor will display to allow you to choose the color values.
ARI
Conform ARRI media.
DPX
Conform DPX files.
The conform begins and a progress bar displays during the process.
The clips will display in the timeline and will link to the associated media.
want to view the log. If you have clips with missing media, see “Relinking Missing
Clips” on page 200.
Conforming with MXF Media Generated by an
Offline System
If you want to use MXF media that was transcoded or rendered by Media Composer, you
need to use the Log option in the Conform dialog box.
198
To link to existing media from the offline system:
The columns displayed in the bin view can show all the metadata within the AFE file
2. To recreate the master clips in Avid DS, you should always select Create Master Clips,
and select the folder where you want to place the master clips in Timeline Drop:
Master Clip Location.
This creates master clips in the Avid Explorer so that you always have the masters in
case any clips from the timeline are deleted. You do not need to select this option if you
already created master clips and you want to avoid creating a duplicate set. (Duplicate
clips are numbered sequentially beginning with 001.)
199
Relinking Missing Clips
Select Lock Path to keep the same folder for any new master clips. Deselect this option
if you want to create subfolders that match the names of the imported bins. This allows
you to keep the original structure for your bins and clips as it was in Media Composer.
3. Do NOT select any other options.
The conform begins and a progress bar displays during the process. Avid DS
automatically scans your configured storage areas for the MXF media.
The clips and associated media will display in the timeline. In the Avid Explorer, the
folder that was selected for the associated master clips will contain the master clips.
n
If you are using MXF media with a resolution that does not match your current Avid DS
sequence compression, select the “Use the Closest Media Available” option in the Sequence
Preferences dialog box.
want to view the log. If you have clips with missing media, see “Relinking Missing
Clips” on page 200.
Relinking Missing Clips
When importing an AFE sequence from Media Composer that has links to media (either
AMA-linked or MXF), you can relink to, or recapture from that same media when you
conform the sequence in Avid DS. If you are not able to relink to this media, the
Capture/Link list can help you find your media.
The Capture/Link list allows you to quickly see the state of linked files (missing or
available) and help re-establish the links to missing files. Each time you manually relink to a
clip, any other missing files found in that relative path will also have the link re-established.
For example, if you have these two missing files in the list:
•
ClipA => d:\media\old\bar\A.mov
•
ClipB => d:\media\old\set\folder\B.mxf
If you make a manual fix of the path, ClipA now points to:
d:\media\this\new\folder\bar\A.mov.
Avid DS will look for B.mxf in d:\media\this\new\folder\set\folder\ and automatically fix the
path for ClipB if the file can be found. This can be really helpful for fixing links to
newly-created linked clips after a conform.
200
To search for clips with missing media:
1. Make sure that the Capture/Link list feature is enabled in Avid DS.
Select File > User Preferences.
2. From the Data Management tab, select the Use Capture/Link List option, and click OK.
3. Navigate to the project folder where your master clips were created, right-click on any
clip in that folder, and select Relink.
The Capture/Link List displays the status of all clips in that folder.
Clips that have missing media will be displayed in red. Clips that have partially missing
media will be displayed in yellow.
4. Ctrl-click to select all the clips whose paths need to be fixed.
The selected clips will be highlighted in bright blue.
201
n
If you have many clips that reside in the same folder, then only one clip in that path needs to
be selected. Avid DS will automatically look for other clips in that folder (or in the same
relative path), and automatically fix the path if the files can be found.
5. Click the Set Path button.
6. Navigate to the folder where the media is now located and select one of the missing
files. The source media file must have the same name and duration in order for the path
to be established.
7. Click Ok.
All clips that are found during this operation will be displayed in green.
8. Before you begin the relink or recapture process, you can filter the list of files, or change
the priority of clips by moving them up or down in the list—see Capture/Link List.
9. Select the clips that you want to relink or recapture by selecting the checkbox next to the
source name.
10. Click Ok to begin the capture or relink process.
Linked files will be real-time for DPX and R3D formats if:
•
The resolution of the high-res files are supported for realtime playback on your system
configuration—see the Avid DS support website at www.avid.com.
•
The high-res files are on your local videostorage that is large and fast enough to support
high throughput.
•
The format of the high-res files exactly match the format of the current sequence.
•
The current sequence storage bit-depth is set to 10 and uses the RGB 4:4:4 color space.
•
For DPX. The data in the DPX files are correctly aligned. This should almost always be
the case. If not, the FixDPX utility can fix any misaligned data DPX files—see
“Aligning your DPX Files” in the Avid DS help.
202
203
8 Color Management in Avid DS
When high-resolution files are transferred through the Telecine process to tape or scanned to
DPX files, the storage of color data can be compromised. Furthermore, the different types of
monitors used in post-production sites when editing and finishing clips can display
inconsistent color data or information.
Proper color management requires that the monitors are calibrated to give editors and artists
a uniform view of the footage being used. Color management in Avid DS ensures that the
color information from acquisition (capture) to delivery (output) is accurate, consistent, and
undistorted. Additionally, it helps guarantee that the colors of the output, even when footage
is acquired from different sources, is standardized across all display devices such as CRT
and LCD monitors or projectors. This guarantee is accomplished with the use of Lookup
Tables (LUTs).
Before you begin using LUTs in Avid DS, do the following:
•
Profile all monitors being used at the site to get the existing color data being displayed,
and then calibrate the monitors according to the site’s workflow. This preliminary
practice ensures consistent color display on all monitors.
•
Clearly understand the type of final output that the client wants as this determines the
LUT file that will be applied. For example, the client may want the final output to be
broadcast on television, projected in the cinema, or both.
Lookup Tables (LUTs)
A LUT is a file that contains a conversion table used to map an input color value to an output
color value.
In Avid DS, LUTs are used for the following reasons:
•
To ensure a standardized color output value across different devices such as computer
monitors, broadcast monitors, and film projectors.
•
To offer flexibility in editing and post-production when working with media from
different sources or shot with different cameras.
•
To convert logarithmic media files to linear format prior to editing and applying effects.
•
To determine how the color data of the final image will be displayed.
•
For creative or artistic purposes to obtain a particular “look and feel” to a scene.
Avid DS supports two different types of LUT formats:
•
1D LUT: A 1-dimensional lookup table maps each input channel value to an output
channel value on a per-channel basis (independently for each channel R, G, and B).
LUT formats from Apple, Autodesk, Avid, and Nucoda are supported.
•
3D LUT: A 3-dimensional lookup table maps any given color value (R,G,B) to an output
color value (R, G, B). Mistika, Thomson Luther, Kodak KDM, Iridias formats are
supported.
Since high-resolution media can originate from a traditional film reel or from more recent
technology such as a digital camera, there are a number of ways to preserve the color values
in this media. There are three common acquisition methods:
Film Transferred to HD Tape
After the initial chemical development stage of the original color negative, footage
originating from traditional film cameras can be transferred through Telecine onto a tape in
HD format. The media from film has a LUT file that is determined by the color management
and calibration process during the transfer process from film to tape.
Example: Footage for television is shot and transferred to a tape in HD RGB 4:4:4 format.
The LUT is delivered with the footage.
Film Scanned to High-Resolution Files
Film-reel footage from a camera is scanned at a film-scanning facility to a series of
logarithmic-based files. The facility delivers a series of file-based media such as DPX with
an accompanying LUT that was used for color calibration and the calculation of how the
film scanner interpreted the film stock’s density and color data.
Example: Footage is sent to a film-scanning facility from which a series of DPX or Cineon
files are produced. These files are then packaged and sent to the post-production site for
editorial and special effects work. The LUT is delivered together with the series of files.
High-Resolution Files from a Digital Camera
Digital footage comes directly from the digital camera in a series of linear-based files. This
media has a corresponding LUT. For example, R3D files from a RED ONE camera will have
their own LUT.
205
Example: Footage is shot using the RED camera and stored as compressed linear-based
native R3D files. An RLX file, generated at the time of acquisition, can also be loaded to
provide additional color information of the new footage. (This RLX file can be imported at
the same time you import the RED media.)
Industry LUT Presets Available in Avid DS
Avid DS provides a list of industry LUT presets that you can use when starting a new
sequence or capturing media. These are available when you set the LUT option from the
New Project dialog box. You can also customize these presets and save them for future use.
Refer to the following table for the default values of the Black and White points and the
Gamma. For example, if you start a new sequence in 8-bit and you select ITU 601/709, color
values of 16 are mapped to black in Avid DS.
If you need to use the full color range, regardless of the standard black and white levels, you
can disable the clamp option so that Avid DS preserves the full pixel range (“SuperBlack”
and “SuperWhite”) throughout the process. You can create an unclamped version for any of
your custom-made LUTs simply by deselecting the Clamp option in the LUT editor. Once the
LUT is created, it will be available in the list of LUTs for all the new sequences that you
create.
Linear
Description
Default Black Default
point
White point Default
(8-bit/10-bit) (8bit/10bit) Gamma
Creates a linear curve letting 0/0
you adjust the black and white
points only.
255/1023
1
White
Output
LUT
Presets
The gamma value is always 1
and cannot be adjusted.
Linear Video
points only which by default
are set to the standard video
levels.
Black
235/940
0
Input
255
1
White
Output
n
Black
0 16 Input 235
206
LUT
Presets
ITU 601/709
Description
Used with both SD and HD
workflows.
Default Black Default
point
White point Default
(8-bit/10-bit) (8bit/10bit) Gamma
16/64
235/940
2.2
White
Output
SD uses 601 values, while HD
uses 709 values.
Black
255/1023
2.6
White
Used for the DCI workflow.
Used mostly with Cineon or
23/95
DPX files that derive from the
film scanning process.
n
sRGB
Black
171/685
Black
0/0
255/1023
points as well the black and
white gain values.
0 23
171
Input
Input
255
Input
255
2.2
White
Output
Black
0
255/1023
2.2
White
Black
0
207
255
White
Used mostly when working
with standard and CRT
monitors, for example to
create movies for the web.
Legacy
Graphics
Input
1.66
This LUT automatically
clamps the high white
values. If you prefer to
use the unclamped
version, refer to the
“Custom or Camera
LUT Presets” on
page 208.
The gamma is similar to ITU
601/709.
0
Output
Printing
Density
235
Output
Similar to ITU 601/709, it
0/0
creates a straight gamma 2.6
but without a linear breakpoint
or linear segment.
Input
Output
DCI Gamma
0 16
Custom or Camera LUT Presets
Avid DS also provides custom LUTs that are optimized to work with specific industry
cameras such as the RED, Viper, and Panavision cameras. For example, the REDLOG LUT
has been optimized for the RED Camera sensor and is the best choice for preserving most of
the color data in the R3D file during capture in Avid DS. These custom/camera LUTs are
found in the /DS_v10.x/Luts/Lut presets folder and can be used if one has not been
provided with your footage.
The following table describes the custom/camera LUTs that are available in Avid DS:
Custom LUT
Description
Viper
Normalizes images shot using the Thomson Viper Camera. This LUT is used only when the
camera is in RGB 4:4:4 filmstream mode.
Note that this LUT linearizes the logarithmic color data from the Viper Camera without
affecting the white balance. Use the color correction effect to balance the white color value in
the image.
RED LOG
Provided by the Red One Camera. R3D files are already in a linear-based format, however this
LUT optimizes the visual quality of color data when a 16-bit image is stored in 10-bit.
Printing Density The Printing Density LUT is provided with the film print stock. It is used mostly with Cineon
unclamp
or DPX files that derive from the film scanning process.
The Printing Density Unclamp is the unclamped version and is used so the LUT can be
reversed transparently. Note that you can create an unclamped version for any of your
custom-made LUTs simply by deselecting the Clamp option.
PDLog985
Uses the Printing Density Linear to Logarithmic function with the black point at 95 and the
white point at 985.
It can be used for Cineon or DPX files that are derived from the film scanning process.
Because this LUT has a wide dynamic range, set the Processing Precision option to 32-bit float
when creating a new project or sequence.
Panalog
Provided by the Panavision Camera. It is used to convert a 14-bit image to a 10-bit log file.
Similar to the PDLog985 LUT, the Panalog LUT has a wide dynamic range so set the
Processing Precision option to 32-bit float when creating a new project or sequence.
External Monitoring LUT Presets
If you are using an external broadcast monitor that accepts LUTs, you can upload external
monitor presets from the /DS_v10.x/Luts/External Monitoring Luts folder. These LUTS
should be applied if you want to view the image with its true color settings. This LUT
converts linear back to log for viewing purposes.
208
The following table describes the external monitor LUTs available in Avid DS:
External Monitor LUT
Description
Viper2ITU709_viewer
Converts Viper output colors (in the Viper LUT file) to ITU709 on the external
monitor.
RedLog2ITU709_viewer
Converts RedLog output colors (in the RedLog LUT file) to ITU709 on the
external monitor.
PDLog9852ITU709
Converts PDLog985 output colors (in the PDLog985 LUT file) to ITU709 on the
external monitor.
PD2ITU709_viewer
Converts Printing Density output colors (in the Printing Density LUT file) to
ITU709 on the external monitor.
Panalog2ITU709_viewer
Converts Panalog output colors (in the Panalog LUT file) to ITU709 on the
external monitor.
The Avid DS Color Management Pipeline
It is important to understand the color management pipeline in Avid DS, and where and
when you need to apply LUTs. The following section provides an overview of the process.
As shown in the diagram, there are different stages in the workflow where a LUT can be set.
For the most part, Avid DS applies an appropriate LUT, however you do have the flexibility
to change the default LUT when you create a new sequence, at capture, during the editing
stage, and at output.
209
Avid DS Monitor
External Monitor
Load an External
Monitor LUT
MEDIA
2
1
Open New
Project/Sequence
Apply a Masterclip LUT
to linearize media
3
A Viewer LUT is
applied to view the
sequence in standard
color space of
the computer monitor
Set the Sequence LUT
When storing media,
an internal “storage
LUT” is used to
convert linearized
media to log.
Capture ONLY
Capture/Link
Media
The Sequence LUT is applied
to convert linear back to log
for the external monitor
Edit Sequence
4
Output Sequence
Apply a LUT effect
manually on the
timeline for creative
and artistic purposes
Stored media is
linearized on-the-fly
when editing on
the timeline
When you process, caches
are generated using the
Sequence LUT
Apply a specific
LUT for
recording to film
Sequence
LUT is used
RECORDER
TAPE
LEGEND
STORAGE
FILM
Log to Lin
Lin to Log
Step 1: Open a New Project/Sequence
Before you start a project, you should know the delivery format of the final output. Besides
the obvious settings, such as the video format, you also need to be aware of the color model
and color space at which you will output your sequence. Avid DS uses different color
management if your work in YCbCr 4:2:2 versus RGB 4:4:4. You cannot switch between
YCC and RGB because the color models are not the same. You can, however, edit in 4:4:4
color space, and view and output to 4:2:2 by setting the proper hardware conversion in the
Output tool—see “Film Proxy Mode” on page 183.
The delivery settings are important in determining the LUT that you will set when you start
a project. In Avid DS, these settings are in the Sequence LUT. For example, if the material
you are editing and finishing is for HD television, then the Sequence LUT should be ITU
601-709. If you are delivering for film projection, then you can use the Printing Density
LUTs (clamped or unclamped versions).
n
By default, the LUT set for the project is used for all sequences within that project. However,
you can change the LUT for individual sequences within the project.
When you are editing in Avid DS, the Sequence LUT is used for the following:
•
Encoding the color information that is displayed on the external monitor.
•
Generating caches when applying and processing effects in the sequence.
•
Outputting to tape.
210
For more information, see “Opening an HD or Film Project in Avid DS” on page 174.
Step 2: Capture/Link Media
Any media that is captured, must be converted to a linear representation so that it can be
used in Avid DS. When capturing media, you need to know how your media originated so
that you can use the appropriate LUT when capturing or linking to that media. The LUT that
accompanies the footage is known as the Masterclip LUT in Avid DS. It defines the mapping
of the logarithmic values representing each pixel’s color values to a linear color space value.
If you have been given a LUT with your media, then it needs to be applied when you capture
or link to the media so that the original color data of the captured material is preserved.
When using media from different cameras or sources, make sure that you are using the
correct LUT with the correct media during capture.
Although RGB 4:4:4 media is linearized at capture time, it is still stored as
logarithmic-based data. An internal storage LUT, controlled by Avid DS, is used to convert
the linear-based media to logarithmic-based media for storage.
Step 3: Edit the Sequence
When editing the sequence, there are three places where you can apply a LUT:
•
On the Avid DS viewer
•
On an external broadcasting monitor
•
On the timeline as an effect
The Avid DS Viewer and the Viewer LUT
When editing a sequence, you need to keep in mind that Avid DS works in linear color
space. Most computer monitors expect sRGB gamma which is why a Viewer LUT is
required to convert linear images to the viewer gamma settings. As a result, you may not be
seeing the colors intended for final delivery and you will need to apply a LUT on the
Avid DS viewer. By default, sRGB is used, however, you can change the Viewer LUT
according to your monitor characteristics.
n
The Viewer LUT does not affect or encode the final output. The Sequence LUT will still be
used at output.
For more information, see “Industry LUT Presets Available in Avid DS” on page 206 and
“Enabling a LUT to the Avid DS Viewer” on page 217.
211
The External Broadcast Monitor LUT
Most post-production sites use an external broadcast monitor to view the final output.
External monitors have their own LUTs to convert images coming from Avid DS into the
color space of the external monitor. This LUT converts linear back to log for viewing
purposes. It is applied on the external monitor only and not processed by the Avid DS
system.
Avid DS provides external monitor LUT presets that you can load on your external monitor
using a USB key or a similar hardware device. (Consult your external monitor’s
documentation for procedures for uploading LUTs.) These LUTS can be found in the
/DS_v10.x/Luts/External Monitoring Luts folder. For descriptions of these LUTs, see
“External Monitoring LUT Presets” on page 208.
The LUT Effect
If you are an Avid DS colorist and prefer to color correct on logarithmic-based media, the
color management process in Avid DS provides this flexibility by letting you apply the LUT
effect from the image effects library.
Typically, when a LUT is applied during capture, logarithmic media from a camera or file is
linearized. This is because compositing, titling, and the application of effects in Avid DS
requires that the media be linear.
If you want to work in logarithmic space, when color correcting for example, you can
manually apply a LUT effect to convert to logarithmic and then back to linear to complete
the editorial. However, you can convert the clips back to apply special effects, or for color
correction work. For more information, see “Applying a LUT Effect” on page 217.
Step 4: Output the Sequence
You can output the finished sequence to tape or digital files such as DPX or Cineon. By
default, Avid DS uses the Sequence LUT that you set when you started the sequence for the
following reasons:
•
The sequence has been using this LUT to encode the media and generate caches when
working on the timeline.
•
The Sequence LUT ensures that the stored color information is correct and properly
displayed on an external monitor or film projector.
When outputting to tape, the Sequence LUT is automatically used. When outputting to file,
you can apply any LUT. For more information, see “Outputting Film Sequences” on
page 185.
n
You can also apply a 3D LUT when you are outputting to Cineon and DPX files.
212
213
9 Using Lookup Tables
A Lookup Table (LUT) is used to map input color values to output color values. A full
description of LUTs and how they are used in the Avid DS color management pipeline is
provided in “Color Management in Avid DS” on page 204.
Customizing LUTs
When you start a new sequence, it is recommended that you customize LUT files only when
you need to change the Black and White points, the Gamma, and the Black and White gain
values of the media. It is crucial that you understand these properties and their relationship
to each other.
Example: If you are using the ITU 601/709 LUT, Avid DS maps the color values of 64 in
10-bit to black. If you want to use a color value of 67 as black, then you can nudge the value
to 67 to make sure that black is properly represented.
Note the following:
•
By default, R, G, and B values are locked.
•
For a Linear LUT, you can adjust only the White Point and the Black Point. For a Log
LUT, you can also adjust Gamma, Film Gamma, and Softclip.
To customize a LUT:
1. In the Video Settings section of the New Sequence Dialog box, select User Defined for
the LUT option.
2. Click the LUT button.
The RGB LUT dialog box displays.
3. From the LUT Creation drop-down list, select the appropriate conversion format.
4. Click the Create LUT button.
A new LUT is created and is displayed in the Select LUT list. It is symbolized by the
asterisk until the page is closed at which point they get saved and the asterisk no longer
displays.
5. Edit the values as necessary.
For descriptions of the parameters in this dialog box, see “RGB LUT” in the Help for
Avid DS.
6. Click OK to save the settings.
The LUT is listed in the LUT drop down list in the Video Settings box.
7. Proceed to set up the new project or sequence.
Importing External LUTs
You can import a LUT file that has been supplied for use specifically with the media you are
working with in Avid DS. A LUT file can be provided by the camera operator, the director of
photography, the film scanning facility, or even a colorist.
215
Saving and Exporting a LUT File
n
When importing R3D files, you can load an RLX file that is generated at the time of
aquisition to provide additional color information of the footage.
To select an external LUT file:
1. Depending on whether you are starting a new project or capturing a file, do one of the
following:
If you are...
Do this
Opening a new project or sequence
In the Video Settings section, select User Defined
for the LUT option. Click the LUT button
Capturing a file
From the LUT Creation drop-down list, select
From File. Click the Create LUT button.
2. Navigate to the location of the LUT file.
3. Select the file and click OK.
The LUT file is displayed in Select LUT list. The asterisk indicates that it is a new file
and will disappear after the dialog box is closed.
Saving and Exporting a LUT File
You can save and export the LUT file that you have applied during your work. This LUT file
can be saved or sent to another editor or colorist who is working on the same footage.
To export a LUT:
1. Make sure you are either in the New Project or the New Sequence dialog box.
2. In the Video Settings section, select User Defined for the LUT option.
3. Click the LUT button.
4. In the RGB LUT window, click Export LUT.
5. Navigate to the location where you want to save the LUT.
6. Enter a name for the file and click Save.
Two files are saved: The *.lut file, which is used for the Log to Lin conversion and the
*_inv.lut, which is the inverse LUT that can be used for the Lin to Log conversion.
216
Enabling a LUT to the Avid DS Viewer
If you are using an external broadcast monitor to view the final output of your sequence, it
will display colors that are determined by the Sequence LUT, the LUT file that was set when
you started the sequence. You can apply a LUT on the Avid DS viewer for viewing purposes.
For example, if the Sequence LUT is Printing Density, the image on the Avid DS viewer
may look dull with little or no contrast. You can apply a LUT to view the clips in the color
space used by the monitor (sRGB or ITU-601/709).
If you are unsure of which LUT to use, it is recommended that you use the sRGB LUT as
this is the color space that is used by the Avid DS viewers and monitors. You can also use the
ITU-601/709 as its values are close to sRGB. If you are working in a 4:4:4 sequence, the
sRGB LUT is enabled by default.
n
The viewer LUT does not encode or affect the final output.
To apply a viewer LUT:
1. Make sure that the position indicator is placed on the correct clip on the timeline,
right-click the viewer and select Viewer Properties.
2. Right-click the viewer and select Viewer Properties.
The Viewer Properties property editor displays.
3. In the Display tab, click the Viewer LUT button.
The RGB LUT dialog box displays.
4. Select the LUT that you want to use to view the clip.
To disable the viewer LUT:
1. Make sure that the position indicator is placed on the correct clip on the timeline,
right-click the viewer and select Viewer Properties.
2. Right-click the viewer and select Viewer Properties.
The Viewer Properties property editor displays.
3. Select Disable Viewer LUT.
Applying a LUT Effect
The LUT and 3D LUT effects are available from the Avid DS Image Effects Library.You can
apply these effects for artistic purposes in order to achieve a certain look and feel to a scene.
The 3D LUT is specifically applied to simulate film emulsion properties.
They can be applied to clips, tracks, or the timeline.
217
Applying a LUT Effect
To apply the effect to
Refer to
Clip
“Applying Effects to Clips” in the Help for Avid DS.
Track
“Applying Effests to Tracks” in the Help for Avid DS.
Timeline
“Applying Effects to the Timeline Effect Track” in the Help for
Avid DS.
To select a 3D LUT Effect:
1. In the Avid Explorer, navigate to the Image Effects folder and locate the LUT Effect.
2. Drag the effect to the clip, track, or the Effects tree which you want to apply the effect.
The effect is applied and the Luts Effects property editor opens.
3. Click the Lin2Log tab and click Enable the selection of the LUT.
4. From the Select LUT drop-down list, select the appropriate LUT that will be used to
feed the 3D LUT with the correct log data.
It is recommended that you select the same LUT that you used when capturing media.
5. Optional: Select Show Input Histogram to view the change in the histogram when the
3D LUT is imported and loaded.
6. Click the 3D LUT property page.
7. Select Enable.
218
8. Click the Import 3D LUT button.
9. Navigate to the location of the 3D LUT and click Open to load the table.
The table is loaded and the histogram will change accordingly. You can select and
deselect the Show Input Histogram option to view the difference.
10. Go to the Log2Lin tab and select Enable.
11. From the Select LUT drop-down list, select the output LUT.
Generating 3D LUTs
The Avid DS 3D LUT Generator is a tool that lets you easily generate a 3D LUT based on
the color differences between the original image and the newly-created image generated
from a color grading system or an external LUT engine.
Using a Color Grading System
3
2
Image is captured
and read by the
color grading system
New image is
output
COLOR GRADING
SYSTEM
INPUT IMAGE
RESULTING IMAGE
4
1
Image is loaded
Generates the
input image
AVID DS
3D LUT GENERATOR
Outputs 3D LUT
219
Generating 3D LUTs
Using an External LUT Engine
DPX RECORDER
DPX PLAYER
EXTERNAL LUT ENGINE
2
The image is played
through
the external LUT engine
3
The resulting image
is recorded
RESULTING IMAGE
INPUT IMAGE
1
Generates the
input image
AVID DS
3D LUT GENERATOR
Outputs 3D LUT
To generate and load a 3D LUT:
1. Go to Start > All Programs > Avid > Avid DS v10.x > Tools > Avid DS 3D LUT
Generator.
2. Click the Generate Image button and navigate to a location to save the image.
3. Select the type of image.
It is recommended that you use the .dpx format. Avoid using lossy compression formats
such as .jpg.
4. Send the image for processing by an external grading system or LUT engine.
Once it’s processed, it can be imported.
5. Launch the Avid DS 3D LUT Generator.
6. Click the Resulting Image button.
7. Select the Size of the LUT.
Note that a larger LUT size effect will take a much longer time to process on the
Avid DS Timeline, but the results will be more precise.
8. Click the Create 3D LUT button and select a format.
9. Click OK.
220
You can now view a comparison between the input and resulting image using the newly
created 3D LUT.
221
Avid
Technical Support (USA)
Product Information
75 Network Drive
Burlington, MA 01803-2756 USA
Visit the Online Support Center at
www.avid.com/support
For company and product information,
visit us on the web at www.avid.com

Avid File-Based Workflows Guide

Transcription

Similar documents

Terrier Tattler - Volusia County Schools

case study coronation street

HHS Friday Update for May 20, 2016

available at artbeats.com Unifying Clips

education - Jigsaw24

O`Banion Middle School AVID

Yasargil® Specialty Aneurysm Clips

English - Rockstar Games

BPI 04-03 Brake Hardware Clip Position

AMA University Philippines - HP Software Education Services